Kevin Harvick Calls Out Dale Earnhardt’s $2.6B Worth Ex-sponsor’s Reluctance to Take Risks

“Do we want the champion to be the best car or do we want the champion to be the guy that s–ked all race and saved a set of red tires that got the lucky yellow (flag)?” Christopher Bell’s question on Goodyear’s option tires did strike a chord. Aimed to spruce up races, the “softer” tire options (that promised faster speed but quicker wear), however, divided the community into two groups. And Kevin Harvick seems to have added himself to one of the groups, with some interesting takes that NASCAR might want to hear. But before we get to that…

Notably, on January 21, the stock car racing organization announced that the tire option will return for the spring race weekend at Phoenix Raceway. “It will be the same process that was utilized for the summer race at Richmond Raceway last year where each Cup Series team was given six primary sets of tires for the race and two sets of option tires,” the press release mentioned.

“The goal of the option tire is to increase grip, which can provide more pace to the car. The trade-off, however, is that it is designed to wear significantly faster than the primary tire, so while a driver may gain track position in a short amount of time, they could lose it on a long run and have to pit sooner for fresh tires,” it further stated. And, as expected, excitement ran wild. But so did the dread.

On the January 29 edition of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver sat down with Fox’s Kaitlyn Vincie, and Bob Pockrass, when Vincie asked Pockrass, “So, another item you had was short track tires that you wanted to discuss. And the option tires…not a fan though, you said?”

To this, the veteran NASCAR journalist responded, “I’m not a huge fan of having two different sets of tires during a race…Pick one and let’s go with that. But I do kind of like what NASCAR is looking at for Phoenix, when you look at the championship race in the sense of, ‘Okay, for Phoenix there’ll be a primary tire and an option tire’. And they feel, if the option tire works well [in the spring race], then that will be the tire for the championship race.”

“They said they won’t go into the championship race with two different sets of tires but they feel like going there in March and seeing and getting a good comparison…same track conditions…same temperatures…it’s not like you’re doing it on different weekends. You’re doing it all on the same weekend. And so hopefully they’ll get a good gauge. Because I think people thought Martensville was a pretty good race with that, and if NASCAR can keep developing a softer tire for the short tracks, I think that can go a long, long way to make the racing better.”

Even Harvick seemed to agree with the notion, as he immediately chimed in, saying, “And, I think, when you look at the option tire for Phoenix, and the way that it worked out last year, it’s a free test and I love the fact that they’re trying it.”

“NASCAR, as we’ve seen over the last couple years, has not been afraid to step out of that ledge, and have some failures. I think, Goodyear is much more reluctant to step out of that ledge on their own, because of the fact…how blown tire looks or something going wrong [reflecting] on their tire company. Well, we’re in a position where we need to take some risks on the short track tire. And I think when we saw it at Richmond and the other places that we ran that tire, we had no issues.”

“I think…it’s as soft as Goodyear’s ever gone with any racing tire and I think with…what we watched at spring Bristol last year when all the tires were out, we all agreed that’s the direction that we want to see and want to go. We don’t want the tires to wear out necessarily quite that fast. So if we could zero in on a productive way to understand the wear, and get the tires to wear and the cars to slow down and even if they’re faster at the beginning of the run, if we can get a couple seconds of fall-off during those runs, that just makes the race better.”

“And being able to have that option tire…adds some spice to the beginning of it. But, I’m with Bob. I don’t want to see two tires on the race car. I think that if we can create the fall-off in at any racetrack, it’s going to make the racing better. So, kudos to NASCAR.”

Notably, Goodyear has been NASCAR’s exclusive tire supplier for decades, and was also retired racing veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr’s partner for multiple years. However, Harvick believes their cautious approach is slowing the sport’s growth. He pointed out that Goodyear has historically been hesitant to introduce softer tires because of concerns over brand image. A tire failure, in their view, could damage their reputation.

Notably, the option tire was first tested at North Wilkesboro in 2023. It didn’t perform well there because of the track’s surface, but its later use at Richmond was seen as a success. NASCAR is now bringing it to Phoenix to see if it can improve racing at another short track. If the test is successful, it could become the primary tire for the 2025 Championship Race.

The introduction of softer tires aligns with NASCAR’s efforts to improve short-track racing. The Next-Gen car has struggled to produce compelling action on shorter tracks. By using tires that wear out faster, NASCAR hopes to create more passing opportunities and better strategy decisions.

However, Goodyear’s caution has slowed down the full implementation of this concept.

Harvick slams NASCAR for changes in playoff waiver policy

Kevin Harvick didn’t stop at Goodyear. He also aimed at NASCAR’s new playoff waiver rule, which has already been dubbed the “Kyle Larson Rule.” NASCAR recently changed the policy which now states that any driver who misses a race for non-medical or non-family reasons will lose all their playoff points from the regular season. The change directly affects drivers who might want to compete in events outside of NASCAR, like Larson’s attempt to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 ‘double’, again this upcoming season.

“Yeah, so they left the part in there that the waiver was meant for, and they basically said, ‘Hey, Kyle Larson, don’t miss my race anymore. If you miss my race now, you’re going to be punished because now I have a rule in the rulebook that will deter you from staying in Indy,” Harvick said on Happy Hour.

It’s worth noting that last year, Kyle Larson had to seek a waiver after missing the Coca-Cola 600. Initially, he had planned to race both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in one day. However, weather delays ruined those plans. Despite his best efforts, he wasn’t able to return in time for the NASCAR race. This decision sparked a huge controversy as NASCAR had initially denied a waiver to Larson. However, it eventually gave in, but now changed the rule book completely.

In Harvick’s view, NASCAR’s decision to penalize drivers for missing races is short-sighted. He argued that missing a race already hurts a driver’s chances in the championship. Harvick has long been an advocate for drivers having more freedom. He believes NASCAR should focus on improving the racing product rather than enforcing restrictive rules. What do you think of NASCAR’s rule changes and tire improvements? Let us know in the comments below!