Kevin Harvick has embraced his role as a NASCAR on Fox analyst. That includes becoming the host of his own “Happy Hour” podcast. He’s made headlines for his remarks on more than a few occasions early in 2024. The future NASCAR Hall of Famer had plenty to say on his most recent episode, including a surprising comment about the behavior of Martin Truex Jr. that included video of the 2017 champion, as Harvick described it, “blowing off” his team owner on pit road after the race at Richmond.
“I’ve been in that position and been frustrated, too,” Harvick said. “I think as you see this footage with Martin and Joe Gibbs right here, and just the fact that I don’t know what was said to Joe right there but you can see by his girlfriend’s reaction right there and he must have obviously said something that was pretty much not what she would have said.
“Every time I was in this position, I don’t want to judge somebody else’s position on where they’re at and what they’re doing, I would judge it on how I was in those positions. But, to me, it seems like a lot of those things happen when there’s some internal frustrations or you’re dealing with something that’s frustrating you and finally it gets to a boiling point and man, did it boil. It went from getting beat on the restart, to getting used up by the 11 car, which I don’t think he used him up. I think he was racing at the end. He left him a lane coming off Turn 2. Yeah, he came up the race track but we’re racing for the win.
“To getting in a war with Kyle Larson, smashing into the side of him off of Turn 2. Smashing him into the fence on the front straightaway. And then slamming into the back of Denny Hamlin’s car several times, and when you go back and watch that footage, it is with a lot of throttle. And then we come on pit road and blow off your owner. So, it seems that there is more to it than just that last moment on the restart. And getting beat off of pit road with some of the members that used to be on your pit crew.”
Kevin Harvick Offers NASCAR a Solution for Denny Hamlin Richmond Restart Controversy
Kevin Harvick didn’t stop with Truex. He also addressed the biggest topic of conversation this week — Denny Hamlin jumping the final restart at Richmond.
“If you’re going to paint a line on the track, you should use the line,” Harvick said. “If your football team steps on the line, you’re out of bounds, right? If the ball doesn’t cross the plane, is it a touchdown? I think if you’re going to paint a line on the race track to officiate a situation. Yeah, none of us want NASCAR involved in it but NASCAR wouldn’t even have to be involved in it. Put a speed line there just like they do on pit road. Make the speed entering the box X amount, give them five miles an hour, whatever the pace car speed is plus five miles an hour. Put a line across the racetrack. And if you’re faster than that, with the length of the car, at the line of the restart zone, the computer can call the penalty at that particular point.”
The 48-year-old former Stewart-Haas Racing driver has found his voice at Fox. And it’s good for everyone in the sport.