Kevin Harvick breaks down his “love hate relationship” with Martinsville

Kevin Harvick is one of the most influential figures in the NASCAR garage.

Kevin Harvick breaks down his “love hate relationship” with Martinsville

Kevin Harvick (Via IMAGO)

Martinsville Speedway has been part of the NASCAR calendar since the origin of the series, and multiple drivers have hailed the short track as one of the best in America. On the contrary, 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick is not fond of the half-mile track and has explained his love-hate relationship with Martinsville.

Kevin Harvick has amassed a staggering 60 wins in his elusive two-decades-long career. However, the former champion only has a solitary win at the half-mile of mayhem, showcasing his lack of comfortability with the track. The track’s configuration and short layout had always seemed peculiar to the 48-year-old, who subsequently explained why he had a push-and-pull relationship with the track in Virginia.

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Look, Martinsville was one of those places that it was kind of a love-hate relationship. The fans loved going there. I hated going there, because I just never did very good. There’s nothing wrong with Martinsville. It’s a great racetrack, fun to watch. I had way more fun watching this weekend than I did driving. But it was just one of those places where they either loved me or they hated me, and there was a lot of people that didn’t like me up there. So, for a long time.
Kevin Harvick said in his Happy Hour podcast.

The former Stewat Haas Racing driver elaborated that Martinsville was never his cup of tea. Also, there were an equal number of haters and supporters of him at the track which would mentally affect a driver. These factors led to Harvick and Martinsville forming a stalemate, and the situation has remained the same over the years.

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Kevin Harvick complimented Hendrick Motorsports for a 1-2-3 finish at Martinsville

Harvick had a fair share of battles in his career with Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Moreover, last weekend, HM claimed the first top-three finish by a team in the 2024 season. This asserted HM in a prime position to be the benchmark ahead of the race in Texas, and the former champion has now commended HM for their efforts at Martinsville.

Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing
Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing (Credits: IMAGO)

HMS claimed all the places on the podium, which urged the 48-year-old to applaud the team on its mega efforts. Harvick claimed that only a few teams could perform under such pressure and HM are one of them who can take a battle and prowess with their abilities.

There's just very few teams that perform under that pressure with everybody being there and a Hendrick Motorsports driver talking about having to perform under those pressure circumstances.
Kevin Harvick said in his podcast.

Apart from this, NASCAR now readies up for the race at Texas, Kyle Busch seems to be a strong contender after his win in the Truck series on Friday. However, Harvick has placed his bets on Bubba Wallace to emerge triumphant at TMS when the checkered flag falls on the track.

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