Kevin Harvick on Martin Truex Jr.’s dust up with Joe Gibbs: ‘It finally got to a boiling point and man did it boil’

The ending of Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond was marred by controversy, first with questions about a potential illegal restart by Denny Hamlin, then over the actions of Martin Truex Jr., who had dominated most of the race but slipped to fourth after a late caution and restart.

After Hamlin appeared to his the gas slightly before the designated restart zone in overtime, Truex lost his spot in front of the race and then lost his cool on, well, just about everyone.

“It’s a tough dynamic and a tough situation to handle, but in the end there were a lot of things that just boiled over for Martin at the end of that race that all, the root of the problem was the one second slower pit stop at pit road,” Kevin Harvick said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “He went from first to second. He had complete control of that race, dominated the race, put himself in position early in the race by the exact opposite scenario.”

Only to watch Hamlin and others steam in front during the caution and the restart.

Truex would finish fourth in the race, behind Hamlin, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson. He wasn’t happy about it. In the moments following the race, Truex slammed into Larson from the side, then got up behind Hamlin and bumper tapped him hard a few times.

It was quite out of characteristic for Martin Truex Jr., the 43-year-old driver.

“To me it seems like a lot of those things happen when there’s some internal frustrations or you’re dealing with something that’s frustrating you and it finally gets to a boiling point,” Harvick said. “Man did it boil.

“It went from getting beat on the restart to getting used up by the 11 car, which I don’t think he used him up, I think he was racing at the end; he left him a lane. Yeah, he came off the racetrack, but we’re racing for the win. To getting in a war with Kyle Larson, smashing into the side of him off Turn 2, smashing him into the fence off the front straightaway. Then slamming into the back of Denny Hamlin’s car several times. When you go back and watch that footage it is with a lot of throttle. Then we come on pit road and blow off your owner.”

The latter incident might be the most revealing. Overhead camera footage showed Truex essentially walking right by Joe Gibbs after having a quick exchange of words on the track.

The interaction seemed short and tense, and Martin Truex Jr.’s girlfriend could be seen after making a somewhat incredulous face.

“Well, he’s frustrated, and I’ve been in that position and been frustrated too,” Harvick said. “I think as you see this footage with Martin and Joe Gibbs right here and just the fact that I don’t know what was said to Joe right there, but you can see by his girlfriend’s reaction right there he must have obviously said something that was pretty much not what she would have said.”

For Martin Truex Jr., the oldest driver on the Cup circuit right now, the frustrations might also have been partially because he was so close to the win.

Harvick explained what potentially being at the tail end of your professional career can do to a driver.

“I think if it is his last year, he’s in a position to where I want to win and be able to go out on a high note,” Harvick said. “I think that there’s obviously some internal frustrations probably with the reaction of that all happened between the teams or the drivers or somebody, because that was a pretty over-the-top reaction and he’s been in this position and he knows he has the best cars right now. When you lose those races you’re frustrated as all get out. He lost the race and it was a bad deal.”