Kevin Harvick calls NASCAR’s Chicago Street race a “statement” for the sport: “I think that's a huge plus”

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick recently talked about the Chicago Street Course on his "Happy Hours" podcast on YouTube ahead of the Grant 165. On the latest episode, Harvick touched on factors like flexibility and the unique environment of the 2.2-mile street course.

Harvick has had a successful career in the Cup Series. He has secured 60 wins, 251 top-five finishes, and 444 top-ten finishes, with 31 pole positions in 826 starts. Additionally, he has led 16,023 laps with an average finish of 12.79 and an average start of 14.7 in the Cup Series.

During the latest episode of his podcast, Harvick recalled his first time stepping foot on the Chicago Street Course. Notably, he was impressed by the impression. He further shared his experience:

"It's still one of my favorites. I think for me, the impression that it made the first time that I walked in into the racetrack in Chicago, I'll never forget it. Yeah, I mean, it's just that. It's just it makes a statement when you see the streets, street course set up, and the way that it looks, and the way that it races, and the atmosphere that it has." [00:00 onwards]

"And the thing that I always liked about the Chicago street race is just the engagement, that everybody there knows what's happened. That's not the case when you go to all the racetracks and but when you go to the Chicago street race, you might not be there for the race, but you know it's happening," he added.

Reflecting upon the cost of the street course, the 2014 Cup Series champion stated:

"now you've got that model to take to San Diego, to take the Los Angeles, to take to San Francisco, wherever you want to take it. You can take it in a stadium. You can take it in a in your city, the street, course. And I love it. I love how unique it is. And I think you can take it anywhere, and that's that's a huge plus for our sport." [01:06]

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman won the 2024 Grant 165. He completed the event in two hours, 19 minutes, and 24 seconds. Bowman will be aiming to bag a back-to-back victory at the 2.2-mile street course.

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Kevin Harvick opened up about his top pick for the Grant 165 this season

During the same podcast, former Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick shared his top pick for Sunday's race. The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver picked Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs to win the July 6, 2025, race at the Chicago Street Course.

Joe Gibbs' grandson has been consistently scoring a place among the top 15 drivers on the grid. Reflecting his success, Harvik showcased his confidence and picked Gibbs as the winner of the 75-lap event.

“I'm gonna go with Ty Gibbs,” stated Kevin Harvick. [48:08]

His co-host, Kaitlyn Vincie, went with Shane van Gisbergen as her top pick. Meanwhile, Mamba Smith picked 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick to claim his first win at the 2.2-mile street course.

Kevin Harvick's top pick, Ty Gibbs, ranks 24th on the Cup Series points table with 342 points to his credit. He has secured three top-ten finishes and two top-five finishes in 18 starts this season.