There has been some online banter between Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick that stemmed from the Kansas weekend. It all started when Denny Hamlin spoke to Jeff Gluck about his race, and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver stated, “I’m not in it mentally.” This comment from Hamlin was criticized by Kevin Harvick on his podcast the day after, and that’s when the JGR driver responded back.

Denny Hamlin put up a post on X replying to a clip from Kevin Harvick with a statement that the former NASCAR driver had said in the past. That’s where the banter started. Over the last week, there have not been any interactions between the two, but that all soon changed right before the Roval race. Kevin Harvick mentioned Hamlin again on his podcast, and it was brought up by one of the ‘Happy Hour’ co-hosts.

Kevin Harvick is just doing his job

When situations like this go down on social media, the fans notice. Many started discussing the interaction between Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, and it doesn’t look like the controversy is over. On the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Mamba Smith brought up the whole incident by saying, “Kevin, you have been Denny’s loudest supporter all year, and my man just came off the top rope and kind of dunked on you. Didn’t really like what you had to say.”

Co-host Kaitlyn Vincie also joined in to bring the issue to Harvick’s light as she stated, “He said he brought a quote from you—back when it was still the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which, obviously, I don’t even know when that was. Had to be a long time ago.” Kevin Harvick, all surprised by the comment, responded, “Yeah, whatever it was, the dunk hit the rim, the ball’s halfcourt. Because listen here, Bud, we had nothing to do with talking about your pit crew or anything like that. We were talking about your comments and being mentally focused.”

Kevin Harvick, who rooted for Hamlin to win the title many times on his podcast, added, “I love you, man. I love the way you drive the race car. I don’t like the things that you said after the race, and that’s my job. I’m sorry. I don’t like that. I don’t like the comments about the mental weakness—had nothing to do with your pit crew. I appreciate the attempt to divert the comment in a different direction, but you said it. I didn’t.”

The whole situation began when Kevin Harvick did not agree with Hamlin’s ‘mentally done’ statement. As a former NASCAR driver who has raced against Hamlin many times in the past, Harvick believes that such a thing shouldn’t be said while being a NASCAR driver. Harvick, who has won two Cup Series titles in his career, hoped that Hamlin had the same mentality as him about racing. The difference in opinions is what started this banter, so let’s take a deeper look at how it all started.

Recap on Kevin Harvick’s comment that tipped Denny Hamlin off

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Denny Hamlin was disappointed with his eighth-place finish at Kansas, as he felt he had the potential to win. However, a mix-up during the pit stop led to him losing track position, ultimately costing him a better result. Speaking with Jeff Gluck afterward, Hamlin expressed his frustration, emphasizing how close he felt to securing the victory despite the setback. He said, “I’m not in it mentally; I can tell you that. There are a lot of wires crossed and bolts loose at the moment. But what can you do? I’ll just do the best I can to drive the car and do my part.”

Kevin Harvick literally threw his prompting cards out of his hands, replying via his podcast, “I give up. Why in the world would you say that? Why in the world would you get out of the car and say that? Part of what you do as a race car driver is you have to be a poker player.”

Harvick then explained the main reason behind his frustrations: “Even if you think it, don’t say that. It just blows me away that you would say that you’re not mentally into it after the race and just say… I just couldn’t imagine ever saying that. Never point the finger at something like that, even if you’re not mentally into it.”

Typical, Denny Hamlin then took matters into his own hands, sharing a screenshot of what Harvick said back in 2016 about his pit crew. As the No. 11 driver was not happy with his pit crew, he believed that Harvick was pointing towards the same. But as Harvick explained in his podcasts, he was never saying a word about Hamlin’s frustrations with his pit crew. It was just the mental aspect of it that Harvick believes a driver should keep to themselves.

Hopefully with this, the two drivers reunite, as Harvick is still vouching for Hamlin’s title. Are you rooting for Hamlin to win the championship too?