Corey LaJoie senses “some animosity” in legendary banter moment between Denny Hamlin & Kevin Harvick

NASCAR revisited an iconic moment between Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick on 'Pi Day,' when Harvick smashed a pie into rookie Hamlin's face. As the banter between the two veteran drivers resurfaced, Corey LaJoie remarked that there seemed to be some animosity in the way Harvick executed the prank.

The story dates back to 2006 when Harvick raced for Richard Childress Racing, and Hamlin was in his rookie season at Joe Gibbs Racing. Before the race weekend at Loudon, the duo appeared on a TV show and took part in a pie-throwing contest, which sparked some tension between the two drivers.

The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver later admitted that he threw a pie after the horn sounded on the TV show, which irritated Harvick, prompting him to return the favor. While Hamlin was speaking to the media during the qualifying session at Loudon, Harvick sneaked up behind him and smashed a frozen pie onto his face.

Watch the iconic prank between the two drivers in the video below:

LaJoie commented on the video, stating that he sensed a bit of animosity in the way Harvick executed the pie smash.

"There some animosity built up in that delivery by Kevin Harvick," he wrote on X.

Kevin Harvick's close ally, Josh Jones, once revealed that the former had been plotting his revenge after making the TV appearance. He also mentioned that the pie had come straight out of the freezer, making the prank even worse for Hamlin.

"Kevin told us when we got on the plane after media day, flying to New Hampshire, 'I need you to do me a favor.. I need you to go buy a pie, and I want you to put a ton of whipped cream in it, and I want you to put it in a refrigerator.' Unfortunately, on my end, the refrigerator was full, there was no room, so I put in the freezer," Jones said via SHR in July 2023. [from 6:30]

On the track, Kevin Harvick also knocked Denny Hamlin from the pole and went on to take the victory.

---

Denny Hamlin reflected on Kevin Harvick's prank

During Kevin Harvick's retirement tour in 2023, Denny Hamlin reflected on the iconic prank orchestrated by the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver. Having taken a frozen pie to the face, Hamlin jokingly called it an assault but admitted he had it coming after crossing the line during the TV show.

"The Pie was...that was assault by the way, he got me good." Denny Hamlin said. [from 5:38] "We were doing a pie contest like a throwing contest, and I think he took offense to one of the pies that I got him pretty good on. It was after the horn had sounded to stop. So, the way he saw it, that this was kind of off-limits times, and I kind of broke protocol there."

He added that Harvick cranked the intensity up with his revenge and ultimately had the last laugh. He also mentioned that the 2014 Cup Series champion had a great sense of humor and knew exactly when to use it.

Denny Hamlin said that Kevin Harvick picked up his pranks from his friendship with 3x NASCAR Cup champion Tony Stewart. The duo shared a strong bond and frequently played pranks on each other, with Harvick later joining Stewart’s team.