Kevin Harvick predicts winner at Dover NASCAR race

The NASCAR Cup Series will return to Dover International Speedway this weekend. The trip to Delaware is a welcome one for many drivers, after Shane van Gisbergen kicked some ass at a couple road courses over the past two weeks.

There’s a bevy of wheelmen hoping a return to NASCAR’s more traditional track type lands them in Victory Lane. The crew over at Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour has locked in its predictions for which drivers they believe will thrive in Delaware.

First, Kevin Harvick is a believer in Kyle Larson getting the job done: “He was fast last year,” the former champion stated. “I like the speed, I like that you have to drive the crap out of it and I think they know that they have to get their stuff together.”

At Sonoma, Larson returned to his home state, hoping for a repeat of 2024 and another trip to Victory Lane. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. His attempt at winning the second stage didn’t work out, and the Hendrick Motorsports wheelman finished P35 when the checkered flag waved.

Harvick’s prediction has some legs, as Larson won at Dover back in 2019. He’s also come close multiple other times, including last season’s runner-up finish to Denny Hamlin. He’ll be motivated to get back to Victory Lane after some struggles over the past couple of weeks.

Alas, it’s easy to see why Harvick is riding with Larson, but his co-host in Kaitlyn Vincie is looking at a different former champion to get the job done: “Someone I’d say is in a similar situation (as Larson) is Joey Logano,” she added. “I’m going with driver No. 22 for the Dover win.”

It’s been a struggle for Logano, as he doesn’t always show off his best stuff on road courses. However, he was solid throughout the afternoon at Sonoma, finishing P9. He’ll take that for sure, as NASCAR returns to some ovals. 

Moving to Dover, this will be Logano’s 29th time racing at the track. He’s never won, though, so Vincie’s prediction is a little bold. His best finish came in third, which he’s done three times. Maybe this will be his best performance in Delaware yet.

Who else could win at Dover? Mamba Smith’s prediction might surprise you

Finally, Mamba Smith went a bit off the grid, believing Bubba Wallace can end his winless streak in Delaware: “I’m just going to send it. I said it earlier, he needs it and this is one of his best race tracks. We’re going with Bubba Wallace,” he proclaimed. “Send it in.”

Wallace certainly needs the win in the worst way. He’s only three points above the cut-line for the playoffs, but as we’ve seen in the past, it doesn’t take much for that to evaporate. If he doesn’t get back to Victory Lane, he’s in grave danger of missing the playoffs once again.

All told, there’s a myriad of wheelmen who could get to Victory Lane at Dover, and it’s a bit of a surprise no one is riding with last season’s winner at the track in Denny Hamlin. Regardless, the crew over at Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour has made its picks, and we’ll see if it comes to fruition for them this time around.