Kevin Harvick recently shared his perspective on the performance of Denny Hamlin‘s substitute driver during the NASCAR race in Mexico City. Hamlin was absent from the event due to his wife giving birth, prompting Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) to name Ryan Truex as the replacement for the #11 car.
Ryan Truex, younger brother of former JGR driver Martin Truex Jr., has only sporadically competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2013 through 2025. His career has included a limited number of starts, with his best finish being 20th place at Pocono in 2014. Notably, prior to the Mexico race, his last Cup Series start was in 2019 at Daytona, making the recent race his return in a significantly evolved competition environment with the introduction of the Next Gen car.
At the Mexico City race, Truex finished in 23rd place. Reflecting on Truex’s effort, Harvick acknowledged the considerable challenge involved:
“Tough task to ask of Ryan to jump in that car. To be able to go out there and expect him to get anything out of that car is something that I don’t know that many people could actually do. New track new in the car does a lot of sim work for that group but being on the racetrack weird conditions with rain in and out. But just getting used to the car itself when the tires get wore out and everything that happens throughout the race with these Next Gen cars is very different. So I think that was a tall task,” Kevin Harvick described. [14:20]
Harvick also addressed Hamlin’s absence, expressing sympathy for his situation while noting he was not fully informed about the details of Hamlin’s family emergency. He suggested that Hamlin’s reason for missing the race was likely serious.
Beyond discussing Hamlin and Truex, Harvick turned his focus toward another incident from the Mexico race involving Carson Hocevar and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The two drivers collided on track for the second time in just three races, causing visible frustration from Stenhouse after the event.
Kevin Harvick Highlights the Need for Better Judgment from Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar, although relatively new to NASCAR, has developed a reputation for aggressive driving. His ongoing on-track confrontations, especially instances like the recent collision with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., have drawn criticism from veterans including Harvick. Harvick cautioned Hocevar about his approach, warning that his aggressive style could backfire seriously in the future.
Speaking on his podcast, Harvick issued a striking warning:
“He has to have some common sense about the scenarios that he’s dealing with because it’s going to be a day when he’s leading the race and he’s coming to lap Stenhouse and Stenhouse is going to wipe his ass out. And that’s how these things work especially when you get to the point of having two or three of them,” Harvick said. [16:30]
Harvick acknowledged that while Hocevar has notable speed and talent, he must develop wiser racecraft to avoid costly incidents with fellow competitors.
The Mexico City race illustrated the complexities of competing in NASCAR’s evolving landscape, particularly with the newer Next Gen car introduction and unpredictable conditions like intermittent rain. For Ryan Truex, stepping into a race after a long hiatus with limited experience on the modern vehicle and an unfamiliar track was a formidable challenge, as Harvick emphasized.
In the broader context, the absence of an established driver like Denny Hamlin reinforced how personal circumstances can impact team dynamics and race lineups. Meanwhile, the spotlight on emerging drivers such as Hocevar underscores the ongoing tension between youthful ambition and the experience needed for consistent success at the Cup Series level.
Looking ahead, how Truex and other replacement drivers adapt to these challenges may influence team strategies in future races, while younger drivers like Hocevar must balance aggression with calculated decision-making if they want to compete at the highest level sustainably.