No one can explain the importance of pit stall selections better than Denny Hamlin and Chris Buescher, especially after their clash at Charlotte. The pit stalls there are notorious for being snug, and Buescher, having missed qualifying, ended up picking his stall last—right next to Hamlin’s. This proximity threw a wrench in the works for Hamlin during the race, as he dropped several spots due to Buescher’s pit maneuvers during a crucial pit stop.

Denny Hamlin was all riled up at Chris Buescher for running his pit stop

Things really heated up when Hamlin got boxed in by Chris Buescher’s #17 during a pit stop at the end of Stage 2, causing him to lose four positions. To top it off, Hamlin’s radio was on the fritz, forcing him to switch over to channel 2. Amidst these technical troubles, he let off some steam over the radio about that last pit stop fiasco. Denny Hamlin’s frustration bubbled over on the radio during the race when he snapped at Brad Keselowski‘s driver, Chris Buescher, about the pit road squeeze, “Well then, go on there, Chris, go talk to them [pit crew].“ But Buescher was quick to fire back, his tone sharp, “Brother, if I do anything more than I’ve already done, we’re gonna fight, you understand? I don’t know what to do.”

That exchange really got under his skin, as Denny Hamlin shot back, clearly agitated, “That’s what I’m gonna do next time, you hear it f**ing #17? Park in your f**ing box. I’m gonna stomp on your bumper.“ Hamlin was so ticked off he even mulled over the idea of wrecking Buescher, venting to his crew chief, “If I wreck him…” But Chris Gabehart, ever the voice of reason, calmed him down and said, “Don’t do that. Just drive this to the front. We’ll be fine.”

Hamlin’s irritation stemmed from how Buescher’s pit box setup forced him to back up just to exit his own. It was enough to have him fuming and asking his crew chief to go over to Buescher’s pit and sort things out.

However, karma is a boomerang! After losing spots because of Buescher, it was Buescher’s turn to feel the pinch. He got blocked by ex-23XI driver John Hunter Nemechek on pit road. Clearly ticked off, Buescher couldn’t hold back over the radio, blasting Nemechek with, “F***ing 42 car (John Hunter Nemechek). Piece of sh**.” Well, the 1.5-mile racetrack was really testing the driver’s patience today. And, yet again, Nemechek was slapped with an uncontrolled tire penalty on that stop.

However, the RFK Racing driver and Denny Hamlin later on were seen sorting things out among themselves.

Chris Buescher and Denny Hamlin managed to smooth over their pit road beef during the race

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The RFK Racing driver, Chris Buescher, and Denny Hamlin worked out their on-track tiffs during the race. by making some quick changes, like shifting Hamlin’s pit stop mark a few feet back to give him more room. While rain delayed the race, the two drivers, along with their crew chiefs, Scott Graves and Chris Gabehart, were seen having a calm chat about their pit road squabble.

The race never resumed, so it’s hard to say if their peace talks totally fixed the tension between the #11 and #17 teams. In the end, Hamlin managed to secure a P5-place finish despite the earlier pit road hassle. Buescher wasn’t as fortunate, ending up P23 due to the early call on the race. Not to mention, Denny Hamlin’s top-5 finish has boosted him to the top of the driver standings. If he keeps up this form, knocking him off the top spot will be a tough challenge.