Kevin Harvick reveals what he loves about Denny Hamlin’s mindset as older NASCAR driver

Denny Hamlin tied Kevin Harvick on the NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins list with No. 60 in Las Vegas this past weekend. Now, he’ll look to match the FOX Sports analyst’s championship win at Phoenix on Nov. 2.

During the latest episode of the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Harvick reflected on Hamlin’s continued success this deep into his career. He believes the veteran’s drive to keep improving, even after two decades at the top level, sets him apart from many of today’s younger drivers.

“The thing I love about Denny Hamlin at this point in his career is his willingness to keep learning,” Harvick stated. “And you hear him talk about that. You hear his crew chief talk about that.

“And when Denny talks about, ‘I’m always learning something,’ there’s nothing more true. I think that if you’re open and willing to be critiqued and learn and listen and take the things that work for you, that evolution — I used to always, you guys have heard me say it before — evolve or die, right?

“If you don’t evolve with the situation — our sport evolves constantly as to what’s good, what’s bad, what works, what doesn’t work. They change the tires, they change the horsepower — whatever it is — you have to constantly change what you’re doing as to what works and what doesn’t.”

Continuing, Harvick believes that mindset is what keeps Hamlin competitive year after year. The 2014 Cup Series champion knows it takes a village, and he recognizes that Hamlin has the perfect team around him to achieve success, as well.

“I think his commitment to the simulator and to the sim work with his team — I think Chris Gayle has had a lot of young guys, but I don’t think he’s had the experience, the guidance, and the leadership that you get from a Denny Hamlin type,” Harvick added.

“I look at Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano as maybe the only two guys that can do it at the level they do — able to guide their team with what they need in the car and the commitment that it takes.

“I think Blaney’s committed. I think William Byron is committed. But they haven’t seen as much. And you can’t make up for that time in the seat — with a team, with different teams, different people — as to the way things work.

“So experience and commitment and just being a badass driver… it’s hard to overcome that. Especially right now, when those Gibbs cars are as fast as they are.”

Alas, Hamlin will continue to push toward a long-awaited first championship. Praise from a someone like Harvick — who’s been through the same battles in his respective career — is a reminder of his greatness, and just how good the No. 11 Toyota wheelman is.