Kevin Harvick’s uneasy relationship with the Next Gen car goes back to its very first full season in 2022, when he became one of its most outspoken critics. The former Cup Series champion repeatedly raised concerns about safety after several drivers, including Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman, suffered concussion-like symptoms from relatively minor impacts.

Harvick famously called the car “crappy-ass parts” following his fiery Darlington crash that same year, pointing to durability and consistency issues that, in his view, put drivers at unnecessary risk. Even after improvements to the rear clip and crush zones, he maintained that the car’s design and NASCAR’s push for cost-cutting had come at the expense of quality and competitive integrity. And now, Hamlin’s loss at Phoenix was the final st

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