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Two years ago, Kevin Harvick<\/a> called Kyle Larson<\/a> \u201cthe best driver to come into this sport since <\/a>Jeff Gordon<\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Harvick remains bullish on Larson even though the 26-year-old enters this weekend on a 55-race winless drought. <\/span><\/p>\n Few drivers could have used last weekend\u2019s break more than Larson \u2014 he said at Richmond it has been \u201ca pretty crappy start to the year\u201d<\/a> \u2014 but can he turn things around starting at Talladega Superspeedway? <\/span><\/p>\n Larson\u2019s struggles were discussed by Kevin Harvick and co-host Matt Yocum on \u201cHappy Hours\u201d on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week. Yocum asked Harvick how he kept himself mentally up when things aren\u2019t going well.<\/span><\/p>\n Harvick responded by raising questions about Larson\u2019s crew chief, Chad Johnston.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think when you look at (Larson\u2019s) environment, I look at his crew chief,\u201d Harvick said. \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s the most positive guy in the world. When you have a driver that is in a slump, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to come from his crew chief. I think Chad is a pretty low-key guy that kind of complains a fair amount. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think as you look at that, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s going to come from his crew chief. I think it will have to come from (car owner) Chip Ganassi or somebody outside of what they do, crew chief to driver. (Larson is) still really young, so he needs some guidance and he needs some help to get through the situations that he\u2019s in. In the end, when his contract is up, I don\u2019t know exactly when that is, but he\u2019s going to be a hot commodity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Johnston has been Larson\u2019s crew chief since 2016. Johnston came to Chip Ganassi Racing after he was Tony Stewart\u2019s crew chief in 2014-15. Those were Harvick\u2019s first two seasons at Stewart-Haas Racing. <\/span><\/p>\n Larson has scored all five of his Cup victories with Johnston as his crew chief. <\/span><\/p>\n Harvick said on his show of Larson: \u201cThe bottom line is Kyle Larson is a very, very talented driver that can win a lot of races with the right people around him and the right guidance from somebody kind of helping him finish races and helping him understand when things are good or if things are bad, if you\u2019re running fifth, you need to finish fifth. Having those people around him would in the right environment, the right chemistry and the right things to go with it are really going to help him along in his career.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It has been a tough start of the season for Larson, who has not finished better than sixth. He led 142 laps at Atlanta but saw his chances to win fade when he was penalized for speeding. Larson finished 12th that day.<\/span><\/p>\n Chevrolet\u2019s struggles also haven\u2019t helped Larson or teammate Kurt Busch<\/a>. Joe Gibbs Racing has won six races for Toyota, and Team Penske has won three races for Ford this season. They\u2019re the only two organizations to win in the first quarter of the season. Chevrolet teams have combined to win four races in the last 45 races, going back to last year\u2019s Daytona 500.<\/span><\/p>\n Ganassi noted this week on Twitter the challenges Chevrolet teams face.<\/p>\n Larson\u2019s task doesn\u2019t get easier this weekend. He has five top-10 finishes in 21 Cup starts at Talladega and Daytona. Larson has never finished better than sixth at either track. After finishing 11th at Talladega in the playoffs last year, Larson lamented: \u201c<\/span>We just had a terrible race car and were really slow all weekend.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Will the new package this weekend change Larson\u2019s fortune?<\/span><\/p>\n 2. What to expect this weekend?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Depends on who you ask? Drivers have different takes on what might happen.<\/span><\/p>\n There are many questions because of a few changes. Tapered spacers have replaced restrictor plates. Teams are getting about 100 more horsepower, meaning engines will top 500 horsepower. <\/span><\/p>\n To offset that speed gain and slow the cars, NASCAR raised the rear spoiler an inch to 9 inches. NASCAR also is mandating a 1-inch bolt-on track bar mount to change the height from 11 to 12 inches, raising the rear of the car by an inch.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHandling should not be an issue at all, I\u2019m pretty confident in that,\u201d said Joey Logano<\/a>, who has won three of the last seven Talladega races, including last spring\u2019s event. \u201cIt was (before). You could tell some cars were better than others. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNow, I think the field will be more equally matched. It\u2019s already the great equalizer, and now we\u2019re equalizing it even more. I would assume the pack will be tighter, cars will be closer, more aggressive moves, probably closer blocks. Maybe the runs happen quicker because the hole in the air is bigger. Maybe the runs on the leader will be bigger.<\/span><\/p>\n