Denny Hamlin seeks to refresh Kevin Harvick’s memory amid criticism against “not in mentally” comment

Denny Hamlin responded to NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick after Harvick criticized Hamlin's post-race comments following the Hollywood Casino 400. Hamlin had started the race in P8 and, despite being one of the top-performing drivers throughout the event, ended up finishing exactly where he began.

Hamlin pilots the #11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Pursuing his first Cup Series title, he secured a spot in the Round of 12 and reached Kansas. The #11 driver was among the frontrunners whenever he was on the track, but a few extra trips on pit road slowed him down, essentially robbing him of a victory in the Hollywood Casino 400.

After the news of Harvick's reaction to his post-race "I'm not in it mentally" comment reached Hamlin, the Virginia native went digging through the archives and found a few comments made by Harvick when he was racing in the Cup Series. Hamlin posted on X (formerly Twitter):

"With the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup beginning in two weeks, Harvick says something has to change. "I'm over being a cheerleader," he said after the race. "Those guys get paid a lot of money to perform on pit road. Cheerleading hasn't been working so you have to get after them on pit road and do your job.""

Kevin Harvick's criticism of Denny Hamlin's comments at Kansas Speedway was shared on a recent episode of the Happy Hour podcast.

“Why in the world would you get out of the car and say that? Part of what you do as a racecar driver is you have to be a poker player. At that, when you have that driver suit on, you have to play the game. And you can’t open your mouth to put yourself in positions, to be in a worse spot than you already are. Even if you think it, don’t say that,” Harvick said. [20:56]

Despite a P8 finish, Hamlin secured 36 points in the Hollywood Casino 400. He is currently P5 in the driver standings, 11 points above the Round of 8 cut-off line.

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Denny Hamlin is frustrated with being misunderstood after his Kansas comments

Denny Hamlin believes some misinterpreted his post-race comments at Kansas Speedway. He recently expressed frustration with the media, saying that all reporters ask the same question.

In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin was asked by co-host Jared Allen to shed light on his post-race reaction at Kansas Speedway. The JGR driver responded:

"I was more speaking in the moment [...] Every reporter asks the same f**king question after the race, 'Where's your mentality heading into (Talladega) now?' Like, I don't know. I don't think about Dega till f**king Monday or Tuesday."

"When they ask about my mentality, you know, about how do you stay mentally in it while this is all going on? I'm like, you know, 'Mentally, I'm not in it. Right now I'm just pissed off. I'm rattled in the moment because I'm so angry about kind of how our day went.'"

Meanwhile, Hamlin's 23XI Racing is in a continued dispute with NASCAR over the new charter agreement, as the team has opted not to sign it.