Two drivers have kept it rolling this season unlike any other. One being the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin and the other being his friend/rival from the Hendrick Motorsports camp. Unlike last year’s campaign, Hamlin has momentum, delivering consistent performances one after the other.

From finishing 5th last season with just 2 wins to his name, NASCAR’s new antagonist has captured the attention this season with 2 regular season wins and his stellar victory over the 500-lap race in Bristol post-regular season. His consistency and pace have made him a solid playoff contender who can go toe to toe with any driver in the current roster.

Speaking about going one-on-one, the recent race at the Texas Motor Speedway has just that. Anticipating another duel between the veteran and his HMS friend-turned-rival Kyle Larson, NASCAR nation was on the edge of their seats until Hamlin’s teammate punched a hole in his Toyota, taking away his chances.

Denny Hamlin shares his thoughts on the lost opportunity as the JGR rookie ruins it for the veteran

As mentioned above Hamlin and Larson are ahead of the pack in terms of consistency and speed. Both drivers have established themselves as top championship contenders with one embracing the villain person while the other remains on the good side. After a crucial eliminator in Bristol last week, clearing 4 names, the 2nd round opened in Texas.

And yet again it was a tight neck and neck battle between Larson and Hamlin. Reflecting on his and the HMS Chevy’s pace, he said, “I thought it was me and Larson. Right off the bat we kind of followed each other through the pack there and I thought that #5 and #11 were just better than everyone else.” However, what looked like an epic duel quickly turned awry as an early collision in the pit lane took away Hamlin’s chances of continuing the duel. 

Trouble found him in the form of his rookie teammate, Ty Gibbs in lap 77, who door-slammed the #11 Toyota in the pit lane, punching a hole on its right side. Up until that point, both Larson and Hamlin were trading punches, going toe to toe while the community was awaiting an epic clash between the friends. But Gibbs’ contact with the Hamlin took away the veteran’s momentum as Larson went for a blitz until trouble found him in the closing laps of the race.

Subtly poking  his boss’ grandson for his error, taking away his chances against Larson, the 42-year-old said, “It just seemed like you know after the damage there was nobody close to the #5 again it sucks as soon as we both got to the front, is when the damage happened so we never really got to run head to head but we were really close.” 

Reflecting on what possibly could’ve been an epic finish, he added, “once the #5 got clean air he was hauling the mail so I font know if we had that kind of speed or not it would’ve been close certainly would’ve loved to see how it would’ve played out but just seemed like we both were able to make moves on guys that others couldn’t.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Samantha Busch expresses surprise at fans reaction to Denny Hamlin’s win over Kyle Busch 

Hamlin loses the battle but wins the war as the #5 Chevy succumbs to a late wreck

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Known for his outspoken ways and his straight face, Hamlin shattered all expectations when he wielded the sword in Bristol, trouncing Larson and embracing the bad side. With his top 5 finish last Sunday in Texas, the 42-year-old has now climbed to the 2nd spot in the rankings with 3074 points coming off of 3 wins and 12 top 5 finishes.

Even his pit lane stunt with Gibbs couldn’t take the wind off the #11’s sails as he crossed the finish 5th. Now for Larson, things weren’t so fortunate. Despite acing the 2nd stage of the race, Larson suffered a major wreck that left the #5 in crutches, handing him his 7th DNF of the season. Finishing Stage 2 being the fastest, Larson looked like he was about to rack up another win and advance into the round of 8.

However, with 20 laps to go after the late restart, Larson was going side by side with his Las Vegas rival and Hamlin’s own driver Bubba Wallace for the lead when trouble found the HMS driver. Coming into turn 1, the #5 Chevy ran wide, spinning him into the outer wall and totaling the Chevy.

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Though his HMS teammate got the team’s 300th win, Larson’s late crash got him a bottom-last 31st finish, dropping him to the 8th spot in the rankings.