Kevin Harvick is confident that a young NASCAR Cup Series driver will do big things in 2026. On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick revealed the driver that he believes will have a breakout 2026 season.

“For me, it’s Ty Gibbs,” Kevin Harvick said ahead of Sunday’s Daytona 500. “Just because he’s been so fast, and he’s got the speed in the race car to keep himself in contention, qualifies well, does a lot of things well. It’s just about getting over that hump to get to victory lane.

“I think that they have the capability, the stability within the team now. I think that they could have a breakout year if they can get to victory lane.”

Ty Gibbs is in his fourth year as a full-time driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. In the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Gibbs earned a P23 finish. Gibbs is looking for his first win as a Cup Series driver, but he won NASCAR’s first In-Season Challenge last year. He outlasted 32 drivers to win the $1 million grand prize.

Will Kevin Harvick be right about Ty Gibbs?

“Super cool. Very honored to be in this position,” Gibbs said after winning the challenge in July. “Thank you to all of NASCAR and TNT Sports for allowing us to be able to do this. It’s awesome to win this and super cool to be in this position.”

Ty Gibbs is the grandson of Joe Gibbs, the founder of Joe Gibbs Racing and a three-time Super Bowl champion head coach. After Ty Gibbs fell short of winning at Bristol last fall, Joe Gibbs spoke to reporters about the message he has sent to his grandson.

“Yeah, this sport is really hard,” said Joe Gibbs in the winner’s press conference in September, per Nick DeGroot of Motorsport. “I keep telling him [Ty], honestly, I use the word ‘patience,’ and two races ago we were talking after the race, and he said, ‘Coach, will you quit using the word patience? I don’t want you to use it ever again.’ So patience is out the window. We’re trying to win here.

“I just think he knows this is what he’s wanted to do his entire life, and so he’s after it. I admire, like I said, our entire 54 team. To be truthful, they’re young, but the pit crew, everybody, they just keep fighting, so it’s really great.”