{"id":474350,"date":"2026-02-14T11:15:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T11:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/474350\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T11:15:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T11:15:05","slug":"kevin-harvick-bob-pockrass-reveal-their-pick-for-nascar-team-under-the-most-pressure-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/474350\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Harvick, Bob Pockrass reveal their pick for NASCAR team under the most pressure in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a new season approaching, expectations are rising across the NASCAR<\/a> Cup Series garage. But according to Kevin Harvick<\/a> and veteran FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass<\/a>, a few organizations are feeling the heat more than others.<\/p>\n

Speaking via the latest episode of Kevin Harvick\u2019s Happy Hour<\/a>, Pockrass identified Richard Childress Racing<\/a> as the team facing the most pressure heading into 2026. The combination of driver uncertainty and internal changes has created a pivotal moment for the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it\u2019s RCR,\u201d Pockrass stated<\/a>. \u201cYou talk about Kyle Busch<\/a> being a free agent. Can you get things right with a new crew chief and make him feel like this is where he wants to keep racing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pockrass also pointed to questions surrounding Austin Dillon<\/a> and the team\u2019s future pipeline of young talent. He noted the organization has undergone multiple competition restructures in recent seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, prospects like Austin Hill<\/a> and reigning Xfinity Series champion Jesse Love<\/a> are looking toward Cup opportunities while the team has veterans in those seats at the moment. 2026 could decide where the next era of RCR goes.<\/p>\n

Harvick, however, placed his focus elsewhere, choosing 23XI Racing<\/a>: \u201cFor me, it\u2019s 23XI,\u201d Harvick responded. \u201cWe gave them a mulligan last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alas, Harvick believes expectations have changed dramatically after recent progress for 23XI. Particularly following Bubba Wallace\u2019s<\/a> trip to Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now Harvick believes the organization must prove it can contend consistently, rather than flash occasional speed.<\/p>\n

The biggest spotlight falls on Tyler Reddick<\/a>, whom Harvick expects to become a regular winner and leader of the team: \u201cHe went there to win races and he\u2019s been there long enough to win races,\u201d Harvick added. \u201cYou\u2019re expecting multiple wins out of that car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harvick also explained that the organization\u2019s leadership, including team co-owners Denny Hamlin<\/a> and Michael Jordan<\/a>, will be aiming even higher: \u201cThey expect them to go out and contend for a championship,\u201d Harvick stated.<\/p>\n

While Wallace and Reddick both made the playoffs last season, the duo of Hamlin and Jordan didn\u2019t get into NASCAR to simply win. They want to win it all, and if their current crop can\u2019t get it done, they\u2019ll find someone who can. <\/p>\n

As the season nears, both viewpoints point to the same reality, as patience is wearing thin with certain teams. Whether it\u2019s stabilizing a veteran program at RCR or delivering on rising expectations at 23XI Racing, 2026 may define the trajectory of multiple NASCAR organizations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With a new season approaching, expectations are rising across the NASCAR Cup Series garage. But according to Kevin…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":474351,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-474350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}