Denny Hamlin Hides Behind ‘Uninformed’ Defense After Falling Flat on Wild Claim

In Indianapolis, while Michael McDowell stole the limelight, Denny Hamlin was no slouch, clinching the stage 2 win and seemingly cruising for a top-5 spot. But the tables turned at lap 36. A pit stop for fuel let McDowell swoop in and take the lead in stage 3, with Chase Elliott hot on his heels, trying to bridge the gap.

Hamlin, earlier in his podcast, had make some predictions, making calls about which racers would shine and which would bite the dust. But it seems he might’ve counted his chickens before they hatched, as some who he’d written off cruised into the top 5. While he did offer up a song and dance about why his forecasts were off, the NASCAR community is left scratching their heads, thinking: was Hamlin truly in the dark, or was there more than meets the eye?

Denny Hamlin defends himself after making inaccurate predictions

While Michael McDowell emerged from the shadows as the unexpected champ of the Indianapolis road course, there were a few other names as well that raised eyebrows.

Chase Elliott‘s 2023 season hasn’t been his finest. He’s still trailing by a whopping 62 points from the cut-off line. However, his stellar performance at Indianapolis was such that even his adversaries had to eat their words. Hamlin, realizing he’d put his foot in his mouth, stated he was blindsided by the stats, which led him to underestimate Elliott’s prowess on the Indianapolis track.

On his podcast, the JGR driver came clean about his errant forecasts. While discussing with co-host Jared Allen, he believed Elliott was too far behind the eight ball to make a comeback. But Indianapolis was a wake-up call. Hamlin admitted, “I am a numbers person. I love percentages knowing my odds at all times, and so I like to put myself into the most favorable odds situation, which is why I said, What? Chase Elliott can’t make up points. You guys got to be kidding me.”

Jared Allen playfully pointed out that even he knew Hamlin’s love for statistics. Perhaps Hamlin missed it, not knowing Elliott’s impressive road course records, leading to his skepticism about Elliott’s potential victory. Hamlin simply responded, “I was not informed for sure.”

Furthermore, Allen continued to sing praises of Elliott’s track record, noting, “I knew Chase Elliott is the best road course racer there is in our sport. He has got like 7 wins in the last 5 years. So statistically, he is the best, and I know that. He could win any given weekend; he could have won this weekend, and he could win next.”

And it’s not just Jared Allen; even fans echoed this sentiment, rallying behind the HMS star with a flurry of supportive tweets.

Watch This Story: The phrase without dashes is: Fans Divided Over Denny Hamlin’s Feud With Tony Stewart’s Driver

Fans rally behind Chase Elliott, rooting for a Watkins Glen triumph

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In the heart-pounding Verizon 200 at The Brickyard, Chase Elliott, with victory in his sights, did everything by the book yet still found himself playing second fiddle. But the NASCAR faithful know that he hasn’t thrown in the towel. With Watkins Glen on the horizon, fans are betting their bottom dollar on Elliott’s win.

“Will definitely be very interesting to see how these last two races before the playoffs work out.”

“Chase won there this is his best chance to get into the #NASCARPlayoffs for #NASCAR75 I’m hoping”

“Gonna get it!!!”

“You got this, Chase. Persistence + Grit. You got those.”

“@chaseelliott Good effort today, good car, Go Get Em WGI next week!”

At Watkins Glen, Chase Elliott has twice taken the checkered flag and landed in the top-5 four times out of six outings. All eyes are on him to see if he can keep the ball rolling with the same zest he showcased at the Indianapolis Road Course.

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