Denny Hamlin Pleads Guilty to Ruining Hendrick Motorsports Icon’s Race Because of His Poor Racing Ability in the Rain at Chicago

The Chicago Street Race had a fair amount of mishaps on Sunday. If you ask a driver that raced here at the weekend about how their race went, there is a high chance that you might find some complaints. From pile-ups to missing turns to spins, the race day had it all, and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin experienced it all.

In a battle to gain control over the 11th place, Hamlin and Hendrick Motorsports‘ Alex Bowman were going at it, with Bowman leading at Turn 11. But things were about to go south from the next moment onwards for the #48 driver. As Bowman went into the turn, Hamlin chipped his rear just enough to spin him to the left lane. Hamlin has taken accountability for the contact in the latest episode of his podcast, Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin.

Denny Hamlin accepts his mistake that led to Bowman’s spin at turn 11

Discussing the incident in turn 11 that led to Bowman losing a whole lap of the race, Hamlin explained, “Turn 11? Yes, it was an issue. Obviously, I ran two inches… that was an exaggeration. Six inches right of Alex Bowman, I can’t see that well when you’re packed in behind somebody so you’re trying to see where the corner is and I hit the water. Bam! Send him in.”

One of the bigger contributors to this wreck was the weather according to Denny. With a great deal of downpour before the race, the track had water on it. The circumstances didn’t allow the race to start under its usual conditions and the 100 laps at Chicago had to be reduced. With much lesser distance to race on and such risky track conditions, the situation was quite precarious. Briefing on what actually led to the unfortunate contact between the two, Hamlin added,

“It looked pretty common, we were just running across, you were not right in tire tracks of the car in front of you. You’re running in the water and it just skips your car, I mean anybody’s hydroplaned on a street car**, not a lot of people hydroplaned. It just skips right across so, that stunk.“

The spin in the 41st lap was not all the bad luck Bowman had during the race. Soon after in the 45th lap, the car stopped abruptly due to an engine failure. Track officials had to rush in to make sure that the fire coming out from the car’s hood was extinguished quickly and did no further damage. As a result, the 30-year-old had to get back to the pits without finishing the race. After the race, Bowman did address the contact from Hamlin and called it a common occurrence in racing.

Read More: Alex Bowman Comments on Old Rival Denny Hamlin as NASCAR Asked to Suspend the Joe Gibbs Driver by Fans

Drivers express their concerns over the impact of weather conditions on the race

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After the race, the drivers were quick to compile their complaints and the shortcomings of the race. Chase Elliott, who finished third behind Shane van Gisbergen and Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley said although the wet track made it difficult for drivers to maintain their position, it added another element to the race. On being asked how the downpour affected their outing in a post-race press conference, Elliott said,

“Yes, it did impact the race for sure. Obviously when the road has water on it, we have to run treaded tires like a streetcar. But when it dries out, it gives us the ability to run slick tires, which is a bit different. Yeah, certainly added a dynamic to the race that isn’t super uncommon. We’ve been through that scenario before. But it was adding that to an already kind of new and different atmosphere and different circuit was a little odd.”

The unfamiliarity with the venue also played a big hand in the incidents. Fellow HMS driver Kyle Larson also had a say in the proceedings of the race. Although he did admit that it was not a big issue for him, he also signaled that if not for the conditions, he could have been higher up.

“I don’t know, I didn’t have any issues there, but I assume people were locking their brakes up when it was wet. It gets a little bumpy there, as well, so you can get out of shape. I think had conditions been dry the whole race, I think there would have been less probably issues there, but it made it sketchy and made it difficult for us, which is sometimes good. “

Chase and Larson used their experience to get out of the fix. But the case was not the same with other drivers on the grid. William Byron found it particularly tough after missing a turn at the same turn 11 following which there was a huge pile-up. There is no denying that there are a plethora of improvements that can be done to optimize the racing experience for the drivers.

Watch This Story: Heartbroken Chase Elliott Admits Defeat Hours Ahead Of The Chicago Street Race