Kevin Harvick gets candid about state of Trackhouse, outlook for Ross Chastain and SVG

Kevin Harvick is concerned about where Trackhouse Racing is at this point in the 2026 season. On this week’s Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick talked about the state of the organization and the outlook for Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (SVG).

“They’re struggling,” Harvick said. “When you see Ross Chastain qualify sixth and get lapped… We saw that from a lot of guys this weekend.

“…In the end, SVG has been the best Trackhouse car. But look at the changes, Ross has got a new crew chief. You got Connor [Zilisch] in the mix now; he’s got a new crew chief. We saw some changes within the organization that have happened, and right now it’s not clicking.”

Harvick later mentioned what Chastain had said about an issue he is currently having on the racetrack. He explained.

“The interesting part that I’ve heard Ross talk about in some of his interviews is the car will qualify okay, and it’ll take off good, but they’re terrible on the long runs,” he said. “And that’s exactly what happened to him at Bristol. He would make that car fire off on the restarts by making bold moves. He could hang in there for 20-25 laps. And then it’s just, ‘Alright, I’m fighting for my life here.’ Eventually, he just got further and further back in track position and wound up where that car was actually capable of running.”

Trackhouse is not high in the NASCAR standings

Right now, SVG is the top Trackhouse Racing driver in terms of the NASCAR standings. He is currently in 16th place, while Ross Chastain sits in 21st, and Connor Zilisch is in 33rd place. As Harvick mentioned, Trackhouse has made changes with its teams, but there’s not a lot of experience, as SVG is in his second season as a full-time driver in the Cup Series, while Zilisch is in his rookie season.

It’s surprising to see Chastain off to a slow start since he finished 10th in the final standings last year. He has only had one top-10 finish, which was at Atlanta (P3). His last victory came on May 25, 2025, which was the Coca-Cola 600.