Kevin Harvick’s crystal clear verdict on Michael McDowell’s Texas misery: “He panicked”

On the latest episode of the podcast Happy Hour, former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick discussed Michael McDowell's Texas crash. Following the Spire Motorsports driver's DNF, Harvick gave a crystal clear verdict, explaining how McDowell panicked in the final stage.

McDowell gained the lead on the lap 244 restart and led 19 laps in the race on Sunday, May 4. However, with three laps left in the 271-lap race, things went south for him. While exiting Turn 2, the #71 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver lost control of his car and rammed into the outside SAFER barriers, resulting in a DNF.

Recalling the same situation, NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick mentioned McDowell "panicked" and met the wall.

"He ultimately got a little bit tight off of Turn Two. Logano got the run, and I felt like McDowell panicked at that point and put that huge block on him. I know they said they were going for it, but I felt like he had another chance going into Turns Three and Four with a good side draft and a chance to defend himself. But with the way it all worked out, he ended up crashing—got loose, overcorrected, and the car snapped, hitting the fence," he explained [10:27 onwards].

The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver pointed out that Michael McDowell was running third and should have aimed for a top-five finish instead of pushing his limits for a win.

"I don’t think they were in a position to panic right then. He needed to capitalize on a top-five finish, and that would’ve put him right back in contention. I get that you want to win and take big risks in that moment, but there was another path—play it smart, finish well, and stay in the hunt. Instead, he pushed too hard and ended up in the wall," Kevin Harvick concluded.

Team Penske ace Joey Logano won his first race of the 2025 season with a margin of 0.346 seconds over Ross Chastain. Meanwhile, Michael McDowell wrapped up the Texas race in P26, earning 13 points.

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After the Texas triumph, Joey Logano opened up to Kevin Harvick about his team's “process-driven” problem-solving approach

During another episode of the same podcast, Kevin Harvick asked Team Penske driver Joey Logano about his team's approach to overcoming the obstacles faced during his season. Logano won his first race of the season after his teammate Austin Cindric's Talladega triumph.

The #22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver has struggled since the start of the season. Additionally, his last top-five finish at Talladega Superspeedway turned into a disqualification for missing a spoiler bolt. However, Logano made a resounding comeback through the Texas race, crossing the finish line before any other driver.

Following the Team Penske driver's first win, Kevin Harvick asked Logano how his team dealt with the complications. He replied [06:14 onwards]:

"I think the clear answer to me is that we're a process-driven organization. Meaning that when there is an issue, there is a process of figuring it out, and then we will start a new process of, like, okay, 'How do we make sure this doesn't happen again'?"

Joey Logano has secured his berth for the 2025 playoffs alongside his teammate Austin Cindric. He became the second Team Penske driver to do so, and now only Ryan Blaney remains to secure a win this season.