Kevin Harvick Wonders What Denny Hamlin’s Crew Chief Mike Ford Was Thinking

After winning at Texas last week, Denny Hamlin’s crew chief Mike Ford raised many eyebrows when he trash-talked Jimmie Johnson’s team, saying (among other things) that the No. 11 team was better than the No. 48.

Kevin Harvick, happily playing the impartial observer as his primary Chase competition lobbed shots at each other, had plenty to say about the situation on Friday.

“When things are going good, it’s one thing to be cocky around your team, but when you want to be cocky publicly, you have one place to go and that’s to back it up (with winning), and you’re not going to back it up in this sport forever,” Harvick said. “There’s just nothing to be gained from it as far as the team standpoint. It’s a crew chief, for God’s sake. I just don’t understand, I guess.”

Harvick said Ford should “take his own advice to his driver and not insert your foot into your mouth.”

Ford was critical of Hamlin at Dover after his driver engaged Richard Childress Racing in a war of words that ultimately led to a practice incident with Harvick.

Now, Harvick can’t figure out why Ford is doing the same thing.

“He got all over Denny at Dover for saying the things that he did about RCR and the organization and how disruptive to their team (it was),” Harvick said. “In my opinion, all the things that he said seem to be a disruption to his team, and now Denny is going to have to come in here an answer all those questions.”

Hamlin was expected to visit the media at 4 p.m. Eastern time today.

Harvick, third in the points behind points leader Hamlin and Johnson, said he believed Ford was “just trying to stir stuff up” with his comments, but that it wasn’t a good idea.

“I think when you’re trying to intimidate the guy who’s won four championships in a row, I think you might need to rethink your strategy,” Harvick said. “It’s not really something that was probably necessary.

Johnson, for his part, said Ford’s remarks have been used as bulletin board material around Hendrick Motorsports this week.