These two drivers not only won their respective races in NASCAR and INDYCAR this past weekend, but they earned the respect of Kevin Harvick and Will Buxton.
On the latest episode of “SPEED With Harvick and Buxton,” the two hosts selected their Driver of the Week, and each went with the obvious choices: the victors.
Kevin Harvick: NASCAR’s Denny Hamlin
Hamlin led for 134 laps at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday before capturing the checkered flag. But it wasn’t always easy, and the way he didn’t give up is what impressed Harvick the most.
“He had the pit road speeding penalty, went all the way to the back of the field, drove all the way back to the front of the field, and wound up winning the race,” Harvick said.
Hamlin earned his 61st Cup Series win, moving him into 10th all time on NASCAR’s all-time wins list. More so, the victory came in the wake of a recent tragedy, after his father passed away in late December 2025 due to injuries sustained in a house fire.
“An amazingly meaningful win, and an emotional win,” Buxton said.
Hamlin celebrated the victory by hugging his mom and referencing his father’s memory.
“This is a family sport and my family, obviously, had so much sacrifice to help me get there,” Hamlin said.
Will Buxton: INDYCAR’s Kyle Kirkwood
With the FOX Sports NASCAR analyst Harvick choosing the NASCAR victor, the FOX Sports INDYCAR play-by-play announcer fittingly took the winner of Sunday’s Grand Prix of Arlington. Kirkwood led for a total of 16 laps on Sunday, overtaking four-time series champion Alex Palou on Lap 55 and not looking back.
“He was so fast all the way through the weekend at Arlington,” Buxton said of Kirkwood. “But the way in which he went about the win… He hunted [Palou] down, and had to pass him on track with a really lovely, late-on-the-breaks move. It was a really, really wonderful drive and a wonderful move.”
Kirkwood passed Palou by deking to the outside before darting to the inside on the way to becoming the first winner of the Grand Prix of Arlington.
Fan Vote: F1’s Kimi Antonelli
The fans selected a race winner, too, but it wasn’t from NASCAR or INDYCAR as Chinese Grand Prix winner Kimi Antonelli of Formula One earned the audience’s respect.
“He totally deserved it,” Buxton said.
While Harvic and Buxton didn’t match the fan vote, both understood the choice of Antonelli.
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