Kevin Harvick praises Ryan Blaney, admonishes pit crew

Kevin Harvick was on the call when it looked like Ryan Blaney was primed for a trip to Victory Lane during the Goodyear 400 over the weekend. Then, Kyle Larson spun, and the game was changed at Darlington for the No. 12 team.

Blaney’s pit crew couldn’t get him out front for the final restart, and Denny Hamlin stole the checkered flag for his second consecutive win. During the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick had a ton of praise for Blaney’s performance in South Carolina, but he admonished the wheelman’s pit crew, wondering what could’ve been if they provided him with a decent pit stop.

“They were ranked 35th this week in the pit crew ranking. Here’s the issue with that one, drivers talking about it after the race — Ryan Blaney mentioned that the pit crew needed to get better in his interview after the race, and he did it in the most delicate Ryan Blaney way possible. He did it like a pro. But it’s a reality. You can’t hide from these realities. You’re going to have to make some changes,” Harvick stated.

“You see Hendrick be super aggressive in the changes that they made with their pit crew. We’ve seen some other pit crew changes already happen this year in different instances. We’ve seen a lot of mistakes be made on pit road. Pit crew just won the race with the No. 11 car. That pit crew just absolutely went out and won the race. So, if you don’t think it’s important, you’re not going to put yourself to be in contention to consistently win.

“These guys are a massive part of the scenario to put your car in Victory Lane. If you’re consistently making mistakes on pit road — look at the No. 6 car, those guys, they were having a decent run, lug-nut flies off the car. Right-rear tire flies off the car. Next thing you know, he’s on pit road multiple laps down. So Blaney’s guys couldn’t get the jack underneath the car, and they were a little bit off on speed on their pit stop.

“I think if you’re not in a position of a — looks like Joe Gibbs with the new orchestration of how they’re conducting the jack and the pit stop and not on the front edge of that, you’re just going to get — if you’re not the guy that’s out there pushing the limit, you’re going to get left behind. But the pit crew has to be right. The tires have to be tight.”

Quite simply, Hamlin’s victory underscored the importance of a driver’s pit crew, especially late in the race. If Blaney’s time on pit road doesn’t improve, Team Penske might be forced to make some tough decisions.

It’s all about winning in the NASCAR Cup Series, and Ryan Blaney knows that more than anyone. We’ll see when the next time he gets to Victory Lane is, but this is going to feel like the one that got away for some time, for sure.