Former NASCAR Cup Series champion-turned-commentator Kevin Harvick has shared his insights and predicted the winner for the 2026 Cook Out 400, which is set to take place this weekend. He’s going with a NASCAR veteran to win Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
On the latest episode of the “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast, the 2014 NASCAR Cup champion Harvick and his co-hosts, Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith, picked the driver they believe has a strong chance to win at Martinsville’s spring race on Sunday, March 29.
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Harvick picked Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin to win this year’s Darlington spring race. Harvick picked Hamlin because of his impressive track record at the Darlington track, and he’s a defending winner of the event.
Picking the 2026 Cook Out 400 winner, Harvick said:
“I’m going to take Denny Hamlin.” [51:46]
Kevin Harvick’s co-host, Kaitlyn Vincie, picked William Byron to win his first race of the season. Byron has three wins here at Darlington.
“I’m going with William Byron. Three wins he’s had there.” Vincie said.
Meanwhile, co-host Mamba Smith picked 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace to win this weekend.
“If this was the fall race, I would go with the #12 because it just seems like #12 is great in the fall race. I don’t know why. Usually this is Hendrick. I would normally probably go with like a Chase or Byron, but I’m going with Bubba Wallace. He’s been running well.” Smith said while sharing his pick.
How has Kevin Harvick’s top pick performed at the Martinsville Speedway?
Denny Hamlin has had an impressive record at Martinsville Speedway, the paperclip-shaped oval track, where he has won six races. In 40 starts at Martinsville, Hamlin has scored four poles, six wins, 20 top-5s, and 27 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 10.45.
Hamlin has had a good start to the season, as he has one win, two top-5s, and three top-10 finishes with an average finish of 11.8 in six races. He stands fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings. He is the favorite in the odds table with +500 odds to win his second NASCAR Cup Series race of the season.
It will be interesting to see how Kevin Harvick’s and his co-hosts’ picks fare at Martinsville Speedway. Watch the 2026 season’s seventh race on FOX One at 3:30 pm ET.
Edited by Yash Soni
