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Kevin Harvick recalls wild story with Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans after 2011 Martinsville win

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•03/26/25•

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Kevin Harvick Dale Earnhardt Jr
Apr 3, 2011; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (29) leads over driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) and driver Kyle Busch (18) near the end of the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Harvick looked back at when he defeated Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Martinsville in 2011. On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick revealed an incident involving Earnhardt fans after getting past him to earn the Martinsville victory.

“We had a wreck early in the race and were able to get the car fixed and we were really good on the long run on that particular day,” Harvick said. “I think it was eight or nine laps to go, and I passed Dale Jr for the win. That was always one of those scenarios that was a lose-lose situation. It was great to win the race, but you were never going to be the hero of the moment because Dale was going to be the guy that everybody was rooting for, and you didn’t even do anything wrong.

“I got home that weekend, and there were people waiting at my front gate at my house because they were Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans. Just screaming and yelling at me as I went through the gate because I guess I got close to him. But they were mad about any moment that he didn’t win. You never knew that was going to be waiting for you on the other side of beating Dale Jr. on a particular weekend. But that weekend, they were waiting at my front gate at my house for me.”

More on Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhart Jr.

The race was the Goody’s Fast Relief 500, and Harvick got past Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch to win the sixth race of the 2011 season. It was the second consecutive victory for Harvick that year, and he went on to win two more races before finishing third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.

Earnhardt did not have the same success as Harvick in 2011, but still had a strong year. He finished the season with 12 top-10 finishes and seventh in the standings.

Based on Harvick’s story, Earnhardt had a huge following during his racing career. Some of that had to do with Dale Earnhardt Sr., who died in 2001, but Earnhardt Jr. had a lot of success on the racetrack. In 631 Cup Series races, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won 26 races (including the Daytona 500 twice) and earned 260 top-10 finishes. Earnhardt was also named NASCAR’s most popular driver every year from 2003 to 2017.