NASCAR 2026 Season Preview with Bob Pockrass
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Brand
NASCAR
NASCAR is a type of car racing that happens on oval tracks. It's very popular in the U.S., and they have many races throughout the year, including the Daytona 500.
Concept
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a famous car race that happens every year in Daytona Beach, Florida. It's a big deal in the world of NASCAR racing.
Term
HANS device
The HANS device is a safety tool that helps protect drivers' heads and necks in case of an accident. It keeps the helmet attached to the car, which helps prevent injuries when the car crashes.
Term
soft wall
Soft walls are special barriers at racetracks that help keep drivers safe during crashes. They are made to cushion the impact, so drivers don't get hurt as badly if they hit the wall.
Term
DVP
DVP is a plan used to check if a car's design works well and is safe before it's made. It helps engineers make sure everything is right.
Term
DNFs
DNF means 'Did Not Finish', which is used in racing when a car can't finish the race because it broke down or had problems.
Term
tip top
'Tip top' means something is in very good shape or working perfectly, especially when talking about car engines.
Term
road course
A road course is a racetrack with many turns and straight sections, unlike a simple oval track. It challenges drivers to handle their cars through different types of corners.
Term
performance standpoint
Performance standpoint means looking at how well a car can drive, especially in races. It includes things like speed and how it handles turns.
Term
Xfinity side
The Xfinity Series is a lower-level NASCAR racing series where many drivers compete before moving up to the main NASCAR Cup Series. It helps them gain experience.
Car
Buick Grand National
The Buick Grand National is a fast car made by Buick in the 1980s, known for its powerful engine and sleek black look. It was popular for being one of the quickest cars of its time, and many people still admire it today for its unique style and performance. It's a favorite among car fans and collectors.
Brand
Toyota
Toyota is a popular car brand from Japan, known for making reliable cars. They also participate in racing events, which is why they are mentioned here.
Brand
Chevrolet
Chevrolet is a well-known car brand in the United States, famous for making cars and trucks. They are also involved in racing, which is why they are mentioned here.
Brand
Ford
Ford is a famous American car company that makes many types of vehicles, including trucks and sports cars. They are also involved in racing, which is why they are mentioned here.
Company
Penske
Penske is a company that is involved in car racing and also sells cars. They have their own racing teams and are well-known in the automotive industry.
Company
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports is a well-known racing team in NASCAR. They have a reputation for being very successful and competitive in the sport.
Term
balance of their cars
The balance of a car is how well it handles and drives. It’s important for making sure the car performs well on the track, especially in races.
Term
short track
A short track is a smaller racetrack where cars race. These tracks are usually less than a mile long and have different challenges compared to bigger tracks.
Term
mile and a half racetrack
A mile and a half racetrack is a type of racing track that is 1.5 miles long. It’s a common length for NASCAR races and requires special car adjustments to perform well.
LIVE
Every moment matters.
To me, still the 10 race chase is the hardest.
The closures are not bringing beers around.
I'll be real disappointed.
Going to be a very high profile driver
that jumps ship from one of these teams.
We're already going to do this.
We're going to make our predictions for the Cup champion.
Welcome to Kevin Harvick's happy hour presented by NASCAR on Fox.
I'm Kevin Harvick.
She's Caitlin Bensie, Mamba Smith,
and the one and only Bob Pocrus by the Bob.
It's so nice when Bobby P comes to visit us here on happy hour.
I feel like when Bob comes, we get smarter.
He elevates everybody's game.
He's totally trying.
That side of the room definitely gets smarter.
It definitely gets better looking.
That's for sure.
That's for sure.
That's true.
This is how we got to pump up our guests
when they first come on the show.
No, it's only Bob.
It's going downhill from here.
No way.
No way.
All right.
Closers, welcome into another edition of happy hour.
We have our own YouTube page now.
So make sure you subscribe to that
and wherever you get your podcasts as well.
And now Mamba, you get to say the social channels.
Do you remember it?
Harvick happy pod.
Let's go.
We got a new channel.
Make sure everyone tunes in.
It's going to be fun.
There you go.
He got it today.
I'm glad that you're finally in the game.
It took two episodes, but welcome back.
Your work here is done.
I'm done there.
So we have Bob on today to give us a season preview
because there's plenty to talk about with you.
You've been in the throes of all the stories like normal.
So we also want to get some predictions from everybody
for the season ahead.
So Bob, we're happy to have you here.
And I know we already talked about this guys,
but Daytona is going to be awesome
because we have our live show coming up.
I am so pumped for this, right?
Well, we've been talking about it for a while.
We have.
And to be able to kind of engage with the fans
and be able to be out with the people.
I know you like to be out with the people.
I love the people.
I love the people.
And, you know, I think it's, it's fun to,
to be able to go to Daytona.
We all know how much that race and event means to our sport.
So love the fact that we're leaning in.
I do too.
And have the, have a live show for the first time.
Taking a little page out of Bob's tweet ups,
you know what I mean?
Getting people to gather around.
If the closures are not bringing beers around,
I'll be real disappointed.
I hope it's, I think they will be expecting you to bring them beer
or that we could probably get some beer delivered to the set
if we need to, I think we need to one of the best wholesalers
in the country there.
There you go.
I think we need to match made in heaven guys.
Make sure you join us.
It's Thursday, February 12th at Daytona at the NASCAR fan experience set
three o'clock.
I think is when the doors open for the fan area.
So just come right over and join us on happy hour.
We're excited to have you.
Okay.
We're also looking forward to this NASCAR studios and Fox Sports
presents an original documentary.
We've lost Dale Earnhardt 25 years later.
So this is a very powerful new documentary marking the 25th anniversary
of the 2001 Daytona 500.
So I'm sure a lot of people have seen the trailers for this,
but in case you haven't, here is a preview.
Christoph, can you hear me?
Yes.
Okay.
How do you tell the world that we lost Dale Earnhardt today?
One of Dale's very best friends was Mike Helton.
This is undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements that I've ever personally had to make.
And those words flew across the world.
We've lost Dale Earnhardt.
I'm a rookie in Daytona 500.
I was eight years old.
Fox hired me.
We were all there.
Malcolm the middle had premiered.
I was probably one of the last people to talk to Dale Earnhardt the day he died.
The badass of all badasses.
Dale Earnhardt takes the checkered flag.
All of us were lost puppies without an owner.
You remember what life was like before that day.
And you remember what life has been like after that day.
You do not want to miss it.
It's Thursday, February 12th, this Thursday at 10pm Eastern on FS one, following the duels.
So Kevin, just kind of your thoughts watching that and everything you remember from that time.
Well, obviously my, what I remember from that time is probably different than, than a lot of other people,
just for the fact that I was, you know, pretty, pretty close to the, and in the situation,
you know, fill in the seat the next week with, with Dale's car.
So it was a very awkward time, you know, for everybody trying to figure out what to do next.
Where was the sport going to go? Where was RCR going to go?
And, you know, I think as, as we've gone through the years, you see and still see the impact that,
that Dale Earnhardt senior had on our sport and the things that, that, that he meant to the sport or,
you know, you can't really, you can't really put into perspective because of,
of how big of a figure that he was to NASCAR racing.
So Kevin, obviously it was a part of it. So too, are you Bob?
Because you were there when Mike Helton addressed the media to tell everyone what had happened.
What do you remember about that day?
Well, I just remember I was working for the Dayton Beach News Journal and so we had seats in that media center.
And as you saw the camera people pretty much standing on tables, like right next to our laptops where we were working.
And we already had heard that Dale had passed.
And so we were in the midst of trying to figure out, you know, how we were going to cover it.
And, you know, as Kevin said, you know, the big question of, you know, where does the sport go from here?
Because it was just such a, such a monumental and such a tragic event that you just didn't know where the sport was going to go.
Yeah. And I think when you look at that press conference, obviously it was the Daytona 500 and the amount of people that were there.
The next week, when I drove the car at Rockingham, do you remember that press conference Bob at Rockingham?
It was in a, they had to build a tent outside the racetrack.
And, you know, and I always tell people, they're like, well, what do you think of this moment?
I'm like, eh, there's really, my whole career kind of started backwards because the biggest press conference that I ever did was really my first one.
Yeah. And it was because of the amount of people that were at Rockingham because RCR was still racing.
His car was going to be on the racetrack. The event was going to happen.
And, you know, the magnitude of it at that point, the Bush series cars were on the racetrack at the time and we were out doing a press conference for what was going on.
So it was just an overwhelming situation to step into that press conference because of the magnitude of it.
And that was by far the biggest press conference that I'd ever had to do and ever did in my career.
So it's hard to explain to people now because you look at the media center and the amount of media and people that were there.
But it was, you know, I look at the presidential press conferences that they put on now.
And is that not what it felt like?
Yeah, I wasn't at that one. I was at the one the day after, which was much like that as well.
I want to say Bill Frantz spoke at that. Michael Waltrip spoke at it.
And it was, you know, it was one of those everybody was wondering, you know, why did it happen?
How did it happen? And what was going to be done in order to prevent from happening again?
And just a lot of questions about the sport and just, you know, and the cars and and safety overall.
Well, and you mentioned the safety since that day.
The amount of safety that has been injected into the sport from from that particular moment changed the course of of how the drivers are protected.
And that was when the softwall conversation started, that's we started with the Hutchins device, the Hans device, all those things that had just kind of been ignored, you know, up until that point.
But now you look at, and I would, I would argue this to anybody today.
I still think that from a safety aspect, it's probably the thing that NASCAR does the best in their world today is continuing to advance the safety for the drivers.
You can hear more on this story again, February 12th at 10pm Eastern.
So as we talked about at the top of the show, Kevin, Bob is here.
So now it's Bob's turn to weigh in on all the things that occurred over the off season and things as we look ahead to 2026.
One of the things I enjoyed watching on your social media in the off season was the trial, of course, because he was here.
One of the boots on the ground very ingrained in all this.
Did you get a snub from Michael Jordan?
Is that what you think happened there at one point?
Michael, yes.
He questioned who I worked for.
He thought, I guess he thought I had kind of taken NASCAR side a little bit or it was a little pro NASCAR or something.
So, you know, hey, I think he was joking.
I mean, that was the biggest challenge of covering that lawsuit, right?
Is because you know everybody on both sides and you kind of understood sometimes where they were coming from.
But yet there were things probably on both sides that came out that were pretty, you know, not great.
Didn't show them in a great light.
And you were trying to say, OK, yes, this person said this, maybe this is what was behind it and try to give some context to some of those things.
Bob, how did you get a sense of how personal it felt in there at all, like between the people?
Because I feel like at the end of it, we all kind of sat around like, it feels pretty personal.
But could you feel that in there?
A little bit. But, you know, afterwards, after they settled, you know, you see Steve O'Donnell, you know, shaking Michael Jordan's hand.
They're in the courtroom, you know, right after they announced that they have come to a settlement.
So I think it certainly, I felt, got a little bit personal for some.
But, you know, I don't think anybody felt personal, especially from Michael Jordan's side because Michael Jordan has been a fan of this sport for a long time.
And he said on the stand that, you know, he wasn't trying to tear down what the France family had built.
He just was trying to make it better.
When you look at that, when you look at the whole scenario, obviously, we know how it ended.
They settled. We see Steve Phelps, you know, he was the guy that resigned and, you know, said some things about Richard Childress, did a lot of positive things in our sport.
I think we all like Steve and things that he did.
NASCAR reshuffled there. We got rid of the commissioner, which I'm not pro commissioner for NASCAR racing in general.
I don't think it's needed. You know, I think that when you look at everything that's done, do you think that the, is there more shuffling that will come from this as far from the NASCAR side with everything that has happened?
How do you think that's over?
I think it's over. I mean, if you're asking is Steve O'Donnell safe?
No, I'm not asking that. I mean, is it going to change the culture of what we do now that all this has happened and done?
Well, look, Kevin, to me, this was all about trust, right?
Because when you talk about the teams trying to negotiate a charter agreement and trying to figure out how much revenue or how much they should get,
they were wondering, well, how much money does NASCAR make, right?
And they never, they didn't have a lot of trust in what NASCAR was telling them or indicating to them what their revenues were until they actually saw them, right?
So I don't think you can build trust with a four minute press conference outside the courthouse stabs.
So to me, it'll be more about going forward and seeing how NASCAR and the teams, how much they trust each other and how much they feel like that they're being honest with each other.
You know, NASCAR is up on the stand saying, well, the teams say they need $20 million a car to run it.
Well, they don't need that. And the teams are saying, yes, we do.
You know, so it, to me, there's still a lot of work to go.
And I don't think it's about as much personnel as much as about respect and trust in each other.
And I think, but in a sense, it is about personnel, right?
Because to get that trust factor with the teams and NASCAR, and I guess that's more along the lines in me asking your opinion of, do you think that all the scenarios, because what has changed, right?
Like that's something has to change, right?
In order to get that trust level where it needs to be to be a cohesive machine to push this ball forward.
And I guess that's my question more so than anything is, do you think it's done changing to get to that point, right?
Like, is it just fixed and going to go away?
I don't think it can.
I don't think so.
And especially if the teams theoretically are getting more money from some other revenue streams that they weren't getting before, if their charters are now worth more.
When are the drivers going to stand up and say, hey, I want more money too, right?
When are crew members going to stand up and say that, you know, where is that going?
When is that going to happen?
And then when you talk about charters and whether they are more valuable, what type of investor does that bring in?
And then how are their interactions with NASCAR?
Yeah, and I think it's a great topic as we go forward.
One of the drivers is going to raise their hand and say, we need to be paid more.
Probably going to happen sooner rather than later with all the contracts that are up.
I'm curious to see who, who does that happen with first?
Is it the drivers or the crew guys?
The driver, the crew guys, like they've, you know, they've watched the growth of the over the wall guys who deserve to get paid.
They're playing real life Frogger.
Like the spotters, the spotters have gone up.
Like everyone has really gone up except road mechanics and maybe probably the home mechanics that put the cars together that make them go fast.
So it's like, there's a lot of, it's kind of a lot of balls up in the air right now.
There is. And people were very vocal about this whole situation and they were very vocal as well about the championship format, which has changed.
We have now returned to the chase.
What do you like to call it? What do you like to say? What's old is new again?
That's been my motto. I think it's fair because we're seeing it play out in a couple different areas.
I know Kevin is very happy about this change. What do you think it's going to mean for the sport returning to that format?
Well, I think people are going to look at the champion as a more, I would say deserving champion.
I think they'll respect the champion more.
And to me, the other big thing is in a three race playoff round or a championship race, every call that NASCAR makes is magnified, right?
There's no chance that they make a judgment call against you that you really have a really good chance to make up for it.
And so I think with a 10 race chase that if you get, feel like you got the royal end of the deal, I think you feel like you have more time to make up for that.
And so I believe I still think people are going to be very scrutinized.
We're never going to stop.
Some of that will never change.
So, I mean, how long will it be before they're tired of us talking about points?
Because that's kind of where, God's kind of where we talk back.
And that's more of a, just to kind of a jab because I like the fact that we have to collect points consistently, but it's going to change.
And we're going to see this progress through the year.
It's going to change the culture of what you do.
And, you know, you talk about DVP and you talk about getting your car back on the racetrack, you're going to see that a lot more.
And you've seen some teams be much more, you know, I think of Kyle Larson and Cliff Daniels right off hand, getting their car back on the racetrack and going back out and collecting a point for the fastest lap, which can't do anymore,
but getting your car back out on the racetrack.
They know how to fix it better than probably anyone else.
You were always saying it's like an exercise of trying to get back out there.
Yeah. The DNFs, you're not going to want that.
Everyone's engines need to be tip top.
No engine failures.
Yeah. You can't do it Blaney in that group.
The other thing in my opinion that it really changes is the fact that the driver mentality of, okay, I won.
I can take deep breath that those days are, they're over and they're back mentality is back to every moment matters, right?
Like it's not just that, that build up to get yourself in, make it through this round, make it through the next round, get to just get to the last race and you're going to have a chance.
Like you're going to have to get through those first 26 and you're going to have to be in those four, five, six spot and in order to still have a chance at winning the championship.
So you were a part of both formats. Which one was a little more taxing? Would you say mentally?
Oh, I mean, the playoffs and, you know, the one race at the end and trying to put yourself in a position just to get there and trying to advance when you have a problem in a particular round by knowing the only way that you're going to get through is winning.
I mean, there's no question that that is more taxing on you because of just the constant 10 week grind of putting yourself in that position.
So, and there's no way out, right? Like if you, if you make a mistake and things happen, there's just no way out.
And at the shop, it's the same way. That is the most taxing. Bob, I wanted, oh, go ahead.
Well, I was just going to say to me, still the 10 race chase is the hardest because when I look at, you know, Jeff Gordon finishing what an average finish at five or 5.1 and not beating Jimmy Johnson.
Yeah.
To me, to be good over those 10 races, maybe you can have one small mulligan, maybe two, but I think to be good over those 10 over for 10 straight weeks, to me, appear to be more difficult than being good for, you know, than just kind of surviving each round.
Now, mentally and nerve wracking, you had more of those elimination moments.
And it depends where you're at, right? And the other thing that it does is those 16th place guys, if they've just snuck their way in there and are on a roll, can get themselves into the top, top five, top 10, makes your charter value go up.
There are a lot of benefits of being able and a lot more things in your control to be able to do that with that, those finishes and things that lead up to those last 10.
Yeah, Bob, I wanted to ask you, do you think that the mentality of how crew chiefs are going to call races, how drivers are going to race races? Do you think we're going to see a noticeable difference or do you think it'll probably be as it's been?
I think there will, there will be a noticeable difference, I believe, because especially if you had in the sold system, if you had a win, you could roll the dice on fuel mileage, right?
You could roll the dice on two tires and if you finished, the difference between finishing second and 25th wasn't that big a deal in the old system if you had a win, but now it means more.
So the guy who just was able to make it happen on the old format was Kyle Arson, our champion, in which there's been statisticians running the numbers and he would have won anyway, even with this format implemented a year ago.
Because of how he finished, yeah. So it's very early to tell, but do you think Kyle Arson could defend that title and get a third with this format?
He could, but aren't we always talking about that he has a few of those too many DNFs?
Well, that's why I brought him up.
Is that the biggest question and does this system actually help Chase Elliott or William Byron in the Hendrick stable?
It definitely helps Chase Elliott. I mean, there's no question that it helps Chase Elliott because of the fact that that's, this is his style of racing.
Like they're grinders. They're able to take those tents and turn them into fifths and take a 20th and turn it into a 10th.
And so you have to be a grinder in this, in this system to win it.
I think he'll enjoy the system more.
He didn't seem like he was enjoying the old car.
There's a lot of things I think at one time for chasing.
They found their consistency.
Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Do you think, who do you think this benefits the most? We kind of, we talked about this the other way.
Who do you think it'll benefit the most besides Chase?
See, I'm sitting next to you. And if I say Blaney, all of them, you know, then all Twitter's going to come at you.
Mamba just set me up to say Blaney.
So you want to say Blaney?
I'm going to say Ryan Blaney because I do think he's consistent.
And I think that this system, I mean, Grant, we talked, we had talked about the Penske cars just kind of being able to make it through each round and go into Phoenix and being strong.
But I do think, I do think the consistency part helps Blaney going to Homestead for the final.
You know, if you really need to perform there, you're going to think you're going to look at Larson and Reddick.
Yeah. And really, when you look at Penske in general, I mean, it's, you know, Logano didn't, didn't win as many races as we expect him to win.
But they still, they still grind it out and are able to get good finishes out of it.
But those guys are so experienced over there from the 22 and the 12 to be able to put themselves and be able to get those days that are hard.
Those are the days that matter.
It's the wins or days that usually go pretty smooth.
And sometimes you sneak them out and get a surprise win.
But it's the days when you go from 20th to 10th or 20th to eighth and get those finishes that you don't feel like you deserved on that particular day with the performance of your car.
But we'll see.
I think it's interesting because, you know, like Jimmy Johnson and Chad can also that group obviously had this format down.
Like they, they had it locked.
They had it dialed and Penske, I feel like has really had it dialed.
Now they haven't won every championship, right?
But they're been there almost every year.
It seems like when it switches, I'm interested to see who's going to get this figured out first because it seems like whoever gets it figured out first has a little bit of a run and a leeway over everybody.
So it'll be interesting to see who gets this format down.
Well, someone who will be going through it for the very first time is Connor Zillich.
We've had one race under our belts and he had a pretty respectable showing.
He made the show.
That's a big takeaway.
That was the big takeaway was, was making the show and wound up finding himself towards the front when it got, when the race track got wet.
We'll manage him probably.
We wound up getting knocked around, wound up knocking some, some people around, but I think that the, you know, just the nerves of qualifying and being able to go out in that last session and put himself in the race being right on that borderline.
You know, I think that is, that is good.
The thing that I'm looking forward to the most with Connor is to see his evolution of his road course stuff and him and SVG going at it on the road course and, and whether that happens, right?
And, you know, I think a lot of the questions are still, where will their cars be from a performance standpoint and on a week to week basis?
We know that they're going to be good on, on the road courses, but it's going to be fun to see that battle.
We got a little taste of it last year on, on the Xfinity side.
So it'll be interesting to see if that's where it goes on the cup side, but he's one and everything he's ever driven.
Yeah.
This will be way harder than everything he's ever driven.
I mean, there's going to be times where he's going to have a 15th to 20th place car.
Yeah.
And I don't know that he's ever driven a 15th to 20th place car, right?
So the question is, how do you get that better?
And, and cup racing more than anything else is getting your car better from when it comes off the hauler for first practice through the end of the race compared to any other series he's been in.
Yeah. And, and I think the other thing that's tough on those 15th to 20th place days is how do you finish 15th to 20th and not wreck?
Yeah.
Don't overdo it.
Don't step outside.
And that's the hardest part for guys like Connor that are coming into the series is running 15th to 20th when you've not really ever done that before in your life and being able to run 15th or 20th and not crashing.
You had a good interview with him by the way.
I really enjoyed that.
He was very candid with you.
Yeah.
Well, he's got a great personality.
He does.
And I think when you look at rookies that have, that have come into the series and had the pedigree of a Connor's village, they're few and far between.
And, you know, but not only his racing pedigree, but his personality is fun.
Yeah.
He's very intelligent.
He speaks well.
He's good with the sponsors.
He's engaging with the fans and, but all those things are things that you have to learn because now you have what you thought you were a lot of fans are not even close to the amount of fans that will be at the racetrack.
Yeah.
And the amount of media that you'll do time management becomes a key issue for these young drivers to learn how to deal with things by the time you get to the summer.
Right.
You're, you can, you can wear yourself out pretty quick mentally and being able to get to the summer and not just be completely wiped out from the travel and the things that you, and learning how to say no.
He's also the face of one of the biggest brands in the world.
That's good and bad.
Right.
That's what kind of adding to your point, right?
He's one of the face of Red Bull now, one of the youngest drivers in there and like their bar is winning in excellence.
Yeah.
So now he is going to have media requirements of them that they need him to do that are different than what he's ever had coming from the Grand National series.
So it's going to be a lot, a lot different.
It's hard to have a lot of fun and maintain, you know, the, the everything that you, that you need to be doing from the cup side on a week to week basis.
So it's a, it's a tough, tough thing to learn from the time management part.
I still feel like we have Kevin to thank for Connor Zillich being here because you're the one who told his dad that he had to continue having him.
They're a great family and, you know, we're still all friends and, and, you know, I think that that's what, that's why an interview like that is easy to do because I know him.
I know him pretty well and have watched him, you know, from the time he was racing go-karts all the way through and he's, he's super talented.
But, you know, he's got a good support cast.
He's got a, you know, strong family behind him to support him and help him during the hard times.
They've got a great system as Chevrolet with, he's great friends with Josh Wise and buried into, into that system.
So he's got a support cast and, but he's going to, it's still going to be a learning.
He's going to need it because, you know, the thing is, is that not just pressure from Red Bull, but, you know, people already are like, oh, you guys are hyping him up too much.
You know, you're already saying he's going to win races and, you know, and so people are, people are already out there rooting for him to fail.
And so he's going to have to try to ignore that.
And, and I think he can, but it's still going to be a challenge.
But for a guy who, when he was living in Italy and riding his bike to go get food so he could eat, he kind of knows how to manage things.
He used to, he used to show up at the airport and he'd get on, I mean, he was 14, 13, 14, probably 14 about that time.
But he'd show up at the airport at the commercial airline and he'd get on the flight and he had no idea how he was going to get to the racetrack.
He was by himself and he'd ask people for a ride or he'd figure out, he can't run a car.
But he's been off overseas by himself.
That's why that time over there for those kids is so good for him to have to learn how to fend for themselves.
And people are speaking a different language and, but he's always fended for himself pretty well.
And that's what makes him so engaging is sometimes he had to be engaging just to figure out how he was going to ride the track.
Bob, I wanted to ask you because he's got Randall Burnett as a crew chief.
Randall's been in driver changes and usually ends up pretty good with him.
Like he usually wins pretty quickly.
And I feel like a lot of times when we see driver switch teams or big name crew chief switch, they find early success.
Where do you find, what do you think that success may, where we might see that?
Do you think it'll be early? Do you think it'll take a little while?
I think it could. I think it could take a little while.
Of course, I was the one who said last year, I thought he might win a race.
The handful of cup races he did, but I think for them to be consistently strong, potentially will take a while.
I think Randall is there because he's been through everything.
He shouldn't have too many things that surprise him and he can be kind of a steadying hand if Connor has questions.
I referenced that interview with Kevin.
That will be airing Thursday with Connor Zillich and Kevin for our happy hour edition there.
So let's do another topic here as we preview the season.
Who do you believe, which team has the most to prove right now this year?
Which team has the most to prove this year?
To me, it's, it's RCR.
You read my mind.
You talk about Kyle Busch being a free agent.
Can you get the track righted there with a new crew chief and get him feeling like this could be a place where he wants to keep racing at?
Where is Austin Dillon in his career and he obviously wants to run better as well.
And you got a couple of young guys there who want to go cup racing.
So where, where are they looking for their future?
So to me, RCR, they've gone through another round of kind of competition changes, which seems like they've had a lot over the last two or three years.
So to me, they're probably under the most pressure.
Yeah. And for me, I think it's 2311.
I think we gave him a mulligan last year, but the bottom line is Bubba got to victory lane.
We saw improvement from that car last year.
I think, I mean, Tyler Redick has to win and I think he is expected and went there to win races and been there long enough to win races.
And, you know, I think that, you know, the scrutiny of that organization, if they don't, there's, there's no, there's no give me this year.
And I think they have, you know, the connection to Gibbs and share the information and all the things that they do.
And I just, you know, I think that the expectation Bubba's been there long enough.
Now it's, it's time to start creeping into that multiple wins.
Riley's, you know, hopefully will run better after his, his first year in cup.
And but the big, the big Tyler Redick scenario to me, you're expecting multiple race wins out of that car.
And that company, in my opinion, Michael Jordan and Denny expect them to go out and contend for a championship.
Is that fair?
That's very fair. And the interesting part of that is this is a free aging year for Tyler Redick.
Many others.
Tyler Redick is kind of the big one because you know, obviously remember he signed with, with 2311 early and then it was able to get over there quicker than expected.
But he is still somebody who is viewed as having a lot of potential.
And if he doesn't win, he's still probably is going to get some offers from some other teams.
And so the question will be, is it Tyler Redick or is it 2311?
I think under pressure, I would say like RFK, they need to show that they can be a top team again.
I mean, obviously what we just saw was Ryan Priest. I mean, that's great.
He's their top guy.
He's their top.
He's consistently the fastest guy.
He was last year.
And he was like, your point was last year.
Now he won first race out and shout out them.
But if I would say most motivated, I think the 22 group as one group is the most motivated because of how much maybe social, maybe how much people talk about their championships.
And that, oh, you average 17th.
And like you guys aren't that good at this and the other watch the 22 group show you what they can do with a different format.
Like watch them come out and be a top team as far as average because it's different because they need to be because they can do that.
What worries me about them is their mile and a half stuff and their mile and a half program is just not where Chevrolet and the Toyotas have been on the mile and a half.
So I think Blaney is kind of the anomaly, but the 22 hasn't been where they need to be.
And I feel like, I feel like their body, you know, they haven't made any changes to the car.
Obviously there's one coming for them and having driven that car.
I mean, it just has the tendency in the middle of the corner to not turn.
So it's just a, you know, it's an interesting scenario for the Fords in general.
Do you think that's a Ford thing or more of a Ford thing or a Penske thing?
It's a Ford thing.
It's a Ford thing.
And they've just added another mile and a half into the chase.
Right.
Into where it matters.
That's right.
We're talking about teams that have something to prove in 2026.
Now let's do some big predictions with big Bobby P predictions for the year ahead.
Let's see.
Breakout driver of the year.
What do you say?
I think we maybe already talked about him, but.
Breakout driver of the year.
I'm going to go with RFK, but I'm going to go with Chris Busher.
Okay.
I just, you know, when we talked to other drivers about who do you think is going to make the,
make the, make the chase this year, who didn't make it last year, virtually,
I would say a third of them didn't even think twice before they said Chris Busher.
I think if RFK is stronger as a group, he's going to be really strong.
Yeah.
And I think for, for me, it's Ty Gibbs.
No, I like that.
Yeah.
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.
And it's just about getting over that hump to get to victory lane.
Yeah.
And, you know, I think that they have the capability, the stability with,
within the team now, I think that they could have a breakout year if they can get to victory lane.
Is it possible for a former champion to have a breakout breakout year?
I'm thinking, I'm thinking of chase Elliott.
Yeah.
Well, the fans are going to love you man.
Listen, I'm just thinking that with, they started figuring it out the car.
Like that was just the biggest thing.
Like he just wasn't very comfortable driving this car.
And now they've figured it out.
They went through all their gremlins and the, the system is more to their liking.
They probably feel like, Oh, the, the, you know, it's back in our, you know,
our wheelhouse and I feel like they're going to have a good year.
The new format I think is going to rejuvenate a lot of guys mentality as they approach going after a title.
I still think Connor Zilch is going to have a breakout year.
Call me on a bandwagon fan over here or something, but I just think for a rookie,
I feel like he's going to make some people look kind of exposed some people as I,
I think he's going to get it.
Yeah.
I do think he could.
No, do you think he will?
Do you think he will?
I do.
Okay.
But the fight part is, is that SVG won five races last year,
but would you consider him still a cane eight to have a breakout year with an improvement on the ovals?
Yeah, I think so.
Yeah.
I mean, it's possible.
I mean, with the improvement that he had at the end of the year on the ovals and,
you know, the part that people underestimate with, with SVG is his racing IQ and his maturity.
I think that's the big difference between, I'm not saying Connor, I mean, he's just a lot younger.
And I think the difference between Connor and Shane is,
is just the fact that Shane has dealt with high level expectations, his whole career,
not his whole career, but for a long portion of his career.
So he has a high racing IQ, if my opinion.
If he wins, let's say that SVG only wins like one or two row courses,
but his average finish on ovals is like somewhere around, I don't know, like 15th or something.
I would say that that's a better year than his five wins last year because of body of work and what we're doing.
To be a NASCAR race car.
To be a NASCAR race car driver.
So we're talking about breakout drivers of the year potentially.
Who will have the most wins in 2026?
I know this is a lofty question and it's very early to tell, but Bob, do share.
Kyle Larson.
Okay.
There you go.
You didn't even hesitate.
Does he also have the most DNS Bob?
That's possible.
At least among the drivers who win often or somewhat often, but I think I don't see any reason why they're going to get any worse.
So I would say I see one reason.
I see one reason why, and that's the new body.
I think that there's going to be some hiccups.
They're going to get it figured out.
It's Hendrik motorsports.
They're going to get it figured out and they're going to get the balance of their cars.
These, these cars are so finicky.
I don't know if it's going to be, it didn't look like it was going to be on a short track.
We went to Bowman gray and they, you know, had the, had the whole front row with, with he and Byron.
But what, what's going to happen with that car on a mile and a half racetrack?
That's the big question that I have for, for those guys.
And does how much of the year does it affect on whatever style of racetrack it is?
I mean, it could be the super speedways.
I don't know.
There's, there's just some unknowns there that I think could, you know, still be in question.
Who's your most wins pick then?
My, my most wins.
Yeah.
Well, I could definitely make the argument for Larson, but I think we're still, we're still,
there's still a lot of motivation for Denny Hamlin.
Okay.
I didn't know where you're going.
Yeah.
I just, I just think that, you know, he, I know he was, he's talked about his shoulder being hurt and he's talked about
and been through so many things with his family, losing the championship, but, you know, with his dad's passing and every,
I just, I still believe that there's some fire in there to motivate him.
And as a driver, every year you're looking for something to motivate you when you've done it that long.
And so I hope that that plays out because I think he deserves it.
I think that the sentiment for Denny Hamlin is going to be much different this year than,
and you saw it starting to shift a little bit last year.
Yeah.
But I believe that, that that fan sentiment towards Denny Hamlin is going to be pretty positive this year as, as he rolls into the racetrack.
I'm going to take his teammate, one of his teammates, C bell.
Oh, no.
I almost went with that one.
I always went the other C, but Christopher Bell, I think is a highly, highly motivated to win a championship.
And he, that group is so fast.
There's really not any holes in his game.
So I think that there's a very good chance that he could end the season with the most wins this year.
So we said they were bold and I am going with Briscoe potentially to have the most wins this season.
And I say that because I'm curious to see how they do.
You talked about it in year two, pairing with James Small.
Well, the hardest thing is, is that motivation.
You got to reach down and find it somewhere else.
And can you carry that every week?
That's what Jimmy Johnson and Chad Knauss did so well.
And, you know, I think when, when you look at this system, you got to carry it every week and you can't, there's no off weeks mentally.
No matter how screwed up your life is or what's happening, you got to figure out how to put yourself back into that driver's seat every single week with one focus.
Yeah.
That is difficult to do when life happens.
Chase to me just seems pretty dialed in.
Like, I think he's aware of this opportunity in front of him.
They started to have a lot of consistency later in 2025.
He made the final four.
I mean, I just think that they have a lot they can build on for this year.
He's walking around loose.
He's loose.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
He's really, he's everybody's loose.
Seeming real comfortable until it doesn't go right.
Well, that's fair to how you handle that out of it.
All right.
So as is customary, we're keeping track of everyone's picks again this year.
This is everyone's favorite thing because I screwed the system a year ago.
Much to Kevin's dismay.
So we're still going to keep track.
10 points for the race winner.
Six for P two through five and three points for P six through 10 cup series champion is 50 points.
That's how I ended up winning this thing.
I did play to the rules that we're given.
This is true.
So we're already going to do this.
We're going to make our predictions for the cup champion.
Who wants to start?
I got a bomb cup champion.
Yes, sir.
Blaney.
Okay.
Wow.
Zero hesitation there.
Blaney.
What, what say you?
No, it's Kevin.
Kevin.
We're going this way.
Um, man, I love that.
You know, I love that pic.
You know, I love that pic.
And last year I went Byron and I feel like the fire is still there.
Okay.
But, um, I know I'm going, I'm going Christopher Bell.
I think Bell, I don't know, man, there's something about it.
You picked him last year and I just think that it's, it's his time.
Go ahead.
I'm going with Briscoe.
I'm sticking with this.
Yeah.
He made the champ for a year ago.
He couldn't do that again and claim the top prize.
I just, you know, it's just that maturity and the things that go with a team.
I think him and Rudy, you know, have a great relationship and have worked through a lot
of hard moments together.
And that's what it takes to, to, to be the, to be the champ.
Eventually you guys, there's a breakthrough.
Eventually you break through.
Now I got to go back to one thing that you skipped Caitlyn because we're just so long-winded
today, but the whole prediction for the season.
I just want to tell you my bold prediction.
Okay, go ahead.
There's going to be a very high profile driver that jumps ship from one of these teams.
At the end of the year.
Yeah.
I feel like you already know about that.
No, I don't know anything.
There's just too many of them that have contracts that are up that I just feel like somebody's
just looking for a fresh start frustrated somewhere.
I don't know.
But don't you agree?
There's just too many contracts that are up.
I think it's a very valid point.
Who else you got out there?
Those are, those are kind of the two big ones that we often talk about.
Everyone at Hendrick, are they all locked in?
I mean, Larson Theoretic and Bowman.
Bowman, of course, is one.
Larson.
His seat's burning.
Who Bowman is.
Yes.
I think Larson, they still need to either finalize or announce.
He's not going anywhere.
All right.
Bowman is going to be the other one.
And the question is, does this playoff system help him potentially keep a job?
Because you're not going to probably have those questions of are you going to make the playoffs
or not?
What about, what about the, in the Toyota camp real quick?
Well, because we got, we got Corey Heim kind of sitting in the wings.
You would expect him to be a 2311 in a cup car full time next year.
And then, you know, you got both the legacy drivers, believe her up.
And then, I mean, I'm not sure, but he here, Ty Gibbs is theoretically,
but you know, is that, you know, we don't got it.
And that's the hard thing.
Like his last ski still, I think needs to sign for him to, you know, continue there.
So there's a lot of them that you feel like are going to stay, but then again,
Bowman, Reddick, Kyle Bush, Eric Jones.
I mean, how do you think he pulls through this whole thing?
You know, he says that being at home and going through all the therapy and everything makes
him definitely want to keep racing for several more years.
Well, there you go.
He says he wants to go deep into his 40s.
So, so we'll see.
But, you know, I think it probably depends on how he feels and, you know,
and does he have any hard hits and does he aggravate this, you know,
and just how does he come back from this broken leg?
Well, Bob, we appreciate your insights as always.
It's great to have the Bobby P on the happy hour.
Thanks for stopping by.
We know you have a super busy schedule ahead of all of the things with NASCAR
and IndyCar and everything else.
It's going to be a great Daytona.
Yeah, that's right.
We'll all be there in Daytona.
So make sure you're again, you subscribe to our new YouTube channel.
Follow us on social media everywhere you get your podcasts and we'll see you guys soon.
About this episode
A deep dive into the upcoming 2026 NASCAR season with Bob Pockrass, who shares insights on team dynamics and predictions for the Cup champion. The conversation highlights the significance of the Daytona 500 and the emotional impact of Dale Earnhardt's legacy, especially with the release of a new documentary marking 25 years since his passing. The hosts also discuss the recent changes in NASCAR leadership and the ongoing trust issues between teams and the organization, providing a comprehensive look at the current state of the sport.
Original notes
Kevin Harvick, Kaitlyn Vincie, and Mamba Smith are joined by FOX Sports Motorsports Reporter Bob Pockrass on this episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, beginning with a reminder about the upcoming free live show ahead of the Daytona 500 at the NASCAR Fan Experience Set. The crew then highlights the new NASCAR Studios and FOX Sports documentary We’ve Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later, premiering Feb 12 on FS1, reflecting on the lasting impact of Dale Earnhardt and the 2001 Daytona 500. From there, the show dives into a wide-ranging preview of the 2026 NASCAR season, discussing the fallout from the charter settlement and leadership changes, the return of the Chase championship format, Kyle Larson entering the year as defending champion, and Connor Zilisch’s full-time Cup Series debut. The conversation explores which teams are trending up, which drivers face the most pressure, how open the field feels compared to recent seasons, and who could define the year ahead, before wrapping up with bold predictions and championship picks as the group officially looks toward Daytona and beyond.
0:00 - Intro
1:42 - LIVE Show Ahead Of Daytona
2:50 - Dale Earnhardt Documentary
8:40 - Season Preview
40:00 - Season Predictions
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