“I don’t like the comments about the mental weakness”: Kevin Harvick apologizes to Denny Hamlin and clarifies his stance on recent criticism

Former NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick responded to Denny Hamlin's pointed social media post and clarified his stance on why he critiqued the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver's mentality after the Kansas race weekend.

The drama began with Hamlin admitting he wasn't "mentally in it" after repeated pit road struggles at Kansas Speedway. The following week, Harvick lambasted the veteran driver for his demoralizing post-race comments. Hamlin responded on X (previously Twitter), by unearthing an old Harvick quote criticizing his pit crew.

Following the Talladega weekend, Harvick responded to Hamlin by offering an apology of sorts but made it clear that he was doing his job and didn't like his post-race comments. Harvick emphasized that it had nothing to do with the #11 pit crew but was a critique of his remarks.

After Happy Hour co-host Mamba Smith reckoned Hamlin dunked on Harvick with the post, the 48-year-old Fox Sports Analyst said:

"Whatever it was, the dunk hit the rim and the ball’s at half-court because listen here, bud. We had nothing to do talking about your pit crew or anything like that. We were talking about your comments and being mentally focused. I love you, man, I love the way you drive the race car. I don’t like the things you said after the race, and that’s my job. I’m sorry."

"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 2014 NASCAR Cup champion added.

Harvick has been a vocal supporter of the #11 JGR driver, having backed him to win his maiden Cup Series championship before the playoffs began. Hamlin enters the Round of 12 cut-off race at the Roval holding a 30-point advantage over the cutline.

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What did Kevin Harvick initially say about Denny Hamlin?

Denny Hamlin expressed frustration over the pit road issues at Kansas Speedway, claiming to have the fastest car but losing significant track position due to pit road penalties. In a post-race interview with Bob Pockrass, he said:

"I'm not in it mentally, I can tell you that. There's 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 didn't agree with the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver, as he gave an animated response on his podcast the following week. Harvick suggested that such comments put the #11 JGR driver in a worse position.

"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. When you have that driver’s 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," he said.

Hamlin commented on Harvick's X post, sharing a screenshot of the former #4 Stewart Haas Racing driver's quote from 2016 when he criticized his pit crew after the Southern 500.

The discourse between the two drivers has seemingly come to an end after Harvick clarified his comments in a recent episode of his podcast.