Kevin Harvick Gives Blunt Take on Denny Hamlin’s Flag Act That Did Not Sit Well With NASCAR Fans

Denny Hamlin’s two Cup Series victories this season — at Martinsville and Darlington Raceway — showcased the fact that he still has what it takes to win in a sport where many of his peers have already retired. Of course, nobody can question that he has the technical skills to be a champion driver, given his 56 wins in the Cup Series. But does he have the temperament?

Kevin Harvick doesn’t think so, for one. Particularly after Hamlin’s antics after his win at Martinsville. Celebrating his first win of the year, Hamlin waved a blue flag, emblazoned with ’11 Against The World’, connecting his car number with the Ohio State football team’s rallying slogan.

Fans were not happy with the flag act. And neither was Kevin Harvick. On his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick articulated his discontent with Hamlin’s post-victory antics, while describing what transpired.

“I wish he would have just stayed out of the car right there and not pulled that flag out because everybody was cheering,” he said, pointing out how the crowd’s initial boos had transformed to cheers. But then, Hamlin took out the flag, and Harvick felt his action marred the moment.

Harvick added that considering that the crowd was cheering, and Hamlin’s position as a veteran driver, it would have been prudent not to display the flag. Even Hamlin seemed surprised by the positive reception, and admitted it as well. Harvick substantiated his critique by highlighting how Hamlin exuded class while celebrating the victory at Darlington, without the flag.

“Here’s why I didn’t like the flag, because I want everyone to like Denny. When he got out of the car last week, it had been a long time since he had won in Virginia at Martinsville… I felt like the crowd was more on his side before the flag than after the flag,” he elaborated.

“This week, there was no flag and there were a lot of [No.] 11 fans in the crowd giving the 11 salute. There was no indication that they may have been cheering when he got out of the car,” he added.

“I’m a Denny Hamlin fan. I like Denny Hamlin, love what Denny Hamlin does. I don’t know, I felt like if there was no flag — and I know a fan made it for him — but you can hang it on the wall in your shop. You don’t have to bring it to Victory Lane,” stated Harvick.

However, it appears Hamlin has fully embraced his role as the antagonist and is reluctant to shed this persona. Harvick analyzed the fans’ discomfort with Hamlin, attributing it to his habit of taking jabs at fans and others during his podcast and various media appearances.

With recent victories, he has a growing fan base too. So it remains to be seen how Hamlin will wield his image as a villain moving forward.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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