This past weekend, Bristol’s dirt race erupted into a frenzy like never before. In the eye of the storm, Denny Hamlin once again found himself an “innocent bystander.” However, the pandemonium of Bristol dirt races is no secret, and the ill-suited nature of Cup Cars for dirt tracks only made things worse.

Last weekend, just before the end of stage 1, Chase Elliott‘s Hendrick Motorsports stand-in slammed into Hamlin, triggering a spin. Later, when NASCAR released the Race Hub’s RADIOACTIVE, the number 9 driver was heard apologizing for the debacle that ruined Hamlin’s race day.

What did Chase Elliott’s replacement say over the radio?

Josh Berry’s spotter said, “One (more lap) at the line. Hang on, Hang on, Hang on, Oh man.”

Then Berry responded, “Sorry I don’t even know how that happened.”

Later on, Hamlin said, “Oh of course.” Soon after Hamlin’s spotter said, “Yeah, innocent bystander.”

Denny Hamlin’s Criticism of Bristol Dirt Track

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While Bristol’s Dirt Track may not be a traditional dirt track, its unique nature has become synonymous with action-packed, chaotic racing. The combination of ill-suited Cup Cars and the unpredictable surface has often led to wild moments on the track.

Hamlin drew attention to the limited passing opportunities as one point of contention regarding the Bristol race. He observed that whoever led the initial lap at a particular stage seemed to dominate the entirety of that stage. Moreover, Hamlin pointed out that scheduling the race on Easter Sunday may have been an even more significant issue as it took drivers and teams away from their families during the holiday.

On his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, Hamlin said, “I don’t know that they have a personal vendetta with the dirt; I think it’s just racing on Easter. And when we had our drivers meeting, one of the — I think it was the track president — was like, ‘Happy Easter, everyone!’ And it was dead silent. No one said anything”

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