Kevin Harvick will take over the No: 5 team due to Kyle Larson’s commitments at the Indy 500. Harvick, the NASCAR Cup Series champion in 2014, retired from full-time racing in 2023 after a successful season with Stewart Haas Racing. Currently, he works as a sports commentator for Fox Sports and has quickly established himself as one of the best in the industry.
However, Harvick will make a return to the NASCAR Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports, but only for a practice session. He will substitute for someone in the Chevy Camaro ZL1 No: 5 for the practice session of the All-Star race in North Wilkesboro, where the team is the defending champion.
Harvick’s wife shared on social media how she found out about the surprising change to HMS. She received a call from Harvick while she was driving, and he asked her to stop as he had something important to discuss with her.
Harvick received a call from someone asking for a favor, and being a respected figure in NASCAR, he could not say no. This unexpected partnership will be a fun session for Harvick and his fans.
Larson, on the other hand, mentioned that his team will not be greatly affected by his absence in the practice session. They have already made some changes and he secured his spot in the main race, so he does not need to participate in the qualifying races on Saturday. This gives the team enough time to adjust the car to his preferences.
With Harvick’s experience, the Chevy No: 5 team will have valuable data for Sunday’s race. This will allow Larson to focus on qualifying well in Indy and position himself to win the iconic 500-mile race.
