Days After ‘Hack’ Alex Bowman Chose to Take the High Road, Denny Hamlin Reacts to Martinsville Comparisons

While NASCAR races are fans’ weekly dose of entertainment, it’s more than just racing for drivers. It’s blood, sweat, and tears for drivers, as each race is just as important for the whole team as it is for the driver himself. Days and hours of preparation, toil, and hard work go into each race, and no one can explain this better than veteran Denny Hamlin, who is still chasing his first title despite being in the sport for close to 18 years.

As the racing community embraced NASCAR’s first-ever Street course last week in Downtown Chicago, the community also witnessed a slight tussle between former rivals, Denny Hamlin and HMS speedster, Alex Bowman.

With the duo creating a dramatic stint at Martinsville as Bowman pulled off a last-minute upset to literally bump the 42-year-old out of the playoffs, the community was all ears for what the veteran had to say when he bumped Bowman and spun him out at Chicago.

Recently, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver shared his thoughts about the Chicago incident and Bowman’s reaction to it.

Did the Chicago Street Race make Denny and Bowman equal?

What you don’t like when done to yourself, don’t do to others. This proverb proves its strength in NASCAR, a sport built on aggressive racing. While we have seen things get out of hand for drivers on track, Bowman and Hamlin’s stint has rather been a case of misunderstanding and poor judgment.

Following their incident at Martinsville last year, Hamlin brutally called out the HMS driver, dubbing him a “hack” who snatched his win. On the other hand, when the roles were reversed last week in Chicago, where it was Hamlin who spun out Bowman at lap 41, the veteran played the defensive role, cleaning his hands and deeming it unintentional much like what Bowman did last year.

Speaking to the media ahead of this week’s race, Hamlin addressed the elephant in the room, stating his thoughts on Bowman’s reaction. He said, “Yeah, I mean it was totally on my to-do list of things before I got back to the racetrack for sure but I think he understood you know there were some serious water issues there in turn 11 and I just I couldn’t see, you know I can’t see that well when I’m right up behind somebody so I’ll show you the touch to the right and I was right in the water puddle.” 

READ MORE: Days After His Comments Triggered Denny Hamlin Penalty Calls, Alex Bowman Shows He Isn’t Like the JGR Driver

The driver then addressed the media about clearing things with Bowman, who was never an aggressive driver. Hamlin further revealed, “Yeah, certainly, it was! his was unintentional, I understand and certainly, mine was as well.“ mentioning it was all water under the bridge. 

Following the Grant Park 220 in Chicago, Hamlin also revealed how he felt about NASCAR’s ambitious expansion plans.

Unlike Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin is skeptical about NASCAR going international.

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2023 certainly has been a significant year for the organization; from debuting at the iconic 24 hours of Le Mans to hosting its first-ever Street course, NASCAR has indeed come a long way considering its Southern roots. And basking in the glory of its inaugural Street race, the organization is looking to find newer pastures to showcase its racing.

While NASCAR has crossed boundaries to Mexico, Brazil, and Canada, veteran Hamlin did not hesitate to share his skepticism about the sport going worldwide. “I’m not really sure you know, I think it’d be tough to do in the middle of the season certainly. But you know, NASCAR and the teams will need to have some dialogue about when’s the best time, is it going to be exhibition? But certainly, I think it’s on you know NASCAR’s thoughts about what’s next.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Fans demand Denny Hamlin’s suspension after bitter Alex Bowman comments

Despite a logistics nightmare in Chicago, NASCAR managed to put on a great show for fans as the event crossed 4.79 million viewers on NBC, while the numbers crossed 5 million when the Kiwi Shane Van Gisbergen was leading the last few laps. Reflecting on the toughest challenge, he said, “I don’t know, again,  I haven’t got too far into the weeds on it but certainly we have to do a ton of research on the logistics. That’d obviously be the toughest part.”