Kevin Harvick Critiques Team Penske’s Pit Crew Shortcomings
Kevin Harvick didn’t hold back when discussing the struggles of Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske pit crew, highlighting a key factor affecting the driver’s performance. While Blaney has had a strong season, his team’s pit-road deficiencies have been glaring and difficult to ignore.
“Everything’s gonna be fine. They know they have a good crew, but it hasn’t been great,” Harvick said on his podcast. “From speed at the start to points on pit road, their ranking has been awful, though they didn’t look like that team on Sunday.”
Statistics support Harvick’s assessment: Blaney’s crew ranks 35th out of 36 teams for four-tire stops in 2026, averaging 12.89 seconds—well behind top crews from Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. Harvick bluntly added, “I still think the problem is they’re just not as good as the Hendrick and Gibbs pit crews.”
Despite the challenges, the crew showed composure at Martinsville, earning Harvick’s praise. “In situations where a team is struggling, you need a clean day, no mistakes, and to rebuild confidence,” he said.
The importance of pit crew speed in NASCAR cannot be overstated. Faster stops directly impact race outcomes, a principle pioneered by Hendrick Motorsports in the early 1990s under Andy Papathanassiou, who brought four-tire stops from 18–19 seconds down to elite sub-14-second times. For example, at the 2024 Texas Motor Speedway weekend, Hendrick crews averaged 9.27-second stops, while Penske crews were 0.3 seconds slower on average.
With new rules increasing the value of race wins from 40 to 55 points, fast, error-free pit stops are more critical than ever. Blaney, currently second in the driver standings, will need his crew to replicate their Martinsville performance if he hopes to challenge Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin for the title.
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