“I hope it’s the last time”: Kevin Harvick drops blunt message on how Kyle Larson’s Double attempt impacted his ‘confidence’

Kevin Harvick recently expressed his thoughts about Kyle Larson's second Double attempt, which is competing in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. The veteran driver didn't shy away from addressing Hendrick Motorsports star's mental toll that he feels ultimately affected his "confidence" in the Charlotte NASCAR race following an eventful open-wheel race in Indianapolis.

On the latest episode of Harvick's Happy Hour podcast, the former Cup Series champion shed light on Larson's three wrecks running the #17 Arrow McLaren in the IndyCar Series. Harvick talked about how the abrupt ending for the 32-year-old Larson in the main Indy event urged him to try to prove his racing prowess behind the #5 Chevrolet for HMS in the stock-car series.

"I think he [Kyle Larson] came back to the 600 wanting to just absolutely smash them," Kevin Harvick said on the podcast. "He stepped over the limit a couple times and got himself in trouble, just wanting to rebound and show everybody from the Indy 500 scenario that he was the man. He's still the man. But even the guys like Kyle Larson can be affected by that confidence piece that goes with the driving, and how you think the process that you go through."

After running for just 91 laps in the Indy 500, Kyle Larson crashed out at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 2021 Cup Series champion's misery continued when, minutes after leading the Coca-Cola 600 race, he was caught in a wreck in the final stage.

This prompted Harvick to share his take about Larson's attempting another Memorial Day Double.

"I think that at this point, he just needs to focus on the NASCAR side of it. And so it's great that he can do it [IndyCar], but I think it took away from the NASCAR side of it this week with the circumstances... And so I'm happy that he did it. I think it was great for racing. I hope it's the last time."

Apart from Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his thoughts on the "herculean undertaking" required to perform the Double. Moreover, the NASCAR Hall of Famer lauded Kyle Larson's attempt.

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"It's a herculean undertaking": Dale Jr. comes in support of Kyle Larson's strong take on the Double

Kyle Larson's comment on the tough undertaking required for the Double caught Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s attention. As a result, the NASCAR legend wrote his thoughts on his personal X account and sided with the HMS driver.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote:

"What we don't see are the meet n greets, photo shoots, team meetings, travel, and more photo shoots, media requests... his plate is already full with those things in NASCAR and to add THE Indy 500!! It's a Herculean undertaking in May times 10. Unreal. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼"

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

@@DaleJr

"What we don't see are the meet n greets, photo shoots, team meetings, travel, and more photo shoots, media requests... his plate is already full with those things in NASCAR and to add THE Indy 500!! It's a Herculean undertaking in May times 10. Unreal. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼"

Nevertheless, Kyle Larson has shown strong performance in his prime racing series, the NASCAR Cup Series. With three wins already under his belt for the season, the Chevy driver is just 29 points behind his HMS teammate, William Byron.

NASCAR will return to action for the Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway on June 1 at 7:00 pm ET.