Danica Patrick Applauds Denny Hamlin’s ‘Clever’ Plan for Kyle Larson to Stand Up Against NASCAR

Over a week has passed since Hendrick Motorsports employees heaved sighs of despair. They were eagerly looking forward to their top driver, Kyle Larson, sweeping the motorsport world off its feet. However, 1100 miles of high-speed racing melted into tears and raindrops, which washed out Larson’s plans. 

Having missed the start of the Coca-Cola 600 race, Kyle Larson was eagerly awaiting NASCAR’s response to his Double decision, when Denny Hamlin suggested a genius tactic to blunt the blow in case of a waiver dismissal, which former racer Danica Patrick heavily agreed with.

Hamlin offers a defiant move for Kyle Larson

On the day of the Double, Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports took a difficult decision. Weighing his NASCAR career and the rigorous year of preparation for IndyCar, he chose Indy. That was a tribute to his IndyCar benefactors like Arrow McLaren who saluted his commendable 18th-place finish. But back home in NASCAR, things didn’t look so rosy.

According to the rulebook, NASCAR dictated, “Unless otherwise authorized by NASCAR, driver(s) and Team Owner(s) must start all Championship Events of the current season to be eligible for The Playoffs.” This put Kyle Larson in a jittery situation, requiring NASCAR’s waiver (which he ultimately got) for a ticket back into the playoffs. 

However, ever since the waiver debate spun off, Denny Hamlin has unequivocally supported Kyle Larson. As the clock ticked, the situation did not bode well for the Hendrick driver. Insiders had reason to believe he would not get a waiver, as four days had passed already since the application was submitted. But ironically, Kyle Larson’s presence worked wonders for popularity: officials reported an 8% viewership rise from last year for the Indy 500. He also drove a confluence of motorsport fans, uniting IndyCar and NASCAR lovers.

Hence Denny Hamlin came up with a plan for Kyle Larson in case his playoff chances stand nullified. Hamlin recently called out NASCAR’s selfish approach, asking Larson to rub it in its face. “If for some reason, he does not get a waiver, I think he should just run this s**t part-schedule the rest of the year…Say, ‘How do you like it now? Fine, I’ll take a week off when I want.’ They believe that they are the show and that you shouldn’t be…if you participate in NASCAR, you shouldn’t participate in anything else.”

Former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick deems this to be a stroke of genius. She shared Hamlin’s podcast video on her Instagram story, writing: “Ha! Love that. Pretty clever Denny.” Incidentally, the IndyCar winner had rooted for Larson way before all the drama began.

Patrick thought Larson was a perfect fit for the Double

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Danica Patrick hung up her firesuit in 2018, but not after leading an exemplary career. Hailed as the most accomplished woman motorsport athlete, she won multiple laurels in both IndyCar and NASCAR. But her Indy career was more impressive, as she won the Twin Ring Motegi IndyCar race in 2008. She also clocked a third-place finish and fourth-place pole start for the Indy 500. Hence, when Kyle Larson announced his plans for the Double in May last year, Patrick gave the green light.

Speaking to CBS Sports, she first outlined the difficulty of IndyCar for NASCAR drivers. “It is a tall challenge to feel really good in the car when it’s not what you do because open-wheeled cars are very different than stock cars.” But then Patrick shrugged off any doubts about Kyle Larson, branding him as a winning driver. “With a guy like Kyle and a good team, there’s always a chance to win the Indy 500,” adding, “I have no doubt (Larson will) have a good day.”

Although that good day never came, Danica Patrick is still on Larson’s team. Along with Hamlin and others, she voiced her support for Kyle Larson’s waiver situation.