Denny Hamlin Uncharacteristically Sides With Former Hendrick Motorsports Rival’s “Oil Protection” Statement as He Details the Incident

The in-race happenings at NASCAR’s inaugural street circuit had fans on the edge of their seat. While the Xfinity Series being cut short had fans disappointed, the Grant Park 220 Cup Series quickly won over the heart of fans. Full of twists and turns, the Chicago Cup Series race saw Joe Gibbs Racing’s #11 driver, Denny Hamlin, emerge as the pole winner. Starting at the front of the grid, the JGR driver, who had put on an impressive performance in practice and qualifying, struggled to keep a steady pace. Losing multiple spots, the #11 JGR driver finished in the 11th spot.

While the majority of the race was uneventful for Hamlin, stage two saw his #11 Toyota slide and bump the right rear of Alex Bowman’s #48 Chevy. This led to the Hendrick Motorsports #48 driver spinning out and stalling his car, warranting a caution. Speaking on his ‘Actions Detrimental’ podcast, Denny Hamlin lent a closer insight into his former rival’s Chicago disaster, even uncharacteristically siding with Bowman.

Denny Hamlin details the stage two incident

Having dropped multiple spots after his pole position start, Denny Hamlin was tailing Alex Bowman’s #48 car in stage two. Approaching Turn 11, Denny Hamlin went hard on the brakes as he approached a wet patch. Struggling to keep the #11 Toyota in control, Hamlin bumped Alex Bowman. Spinning out, Bowman’s car rolled back towards the outside wall. Trying to get back into the race, Bowman attempted to turn. But upon reaching the inside wall, the #48 Chevy stalled and wouldn’t restart. Bowman could be heard over the radio saying, “It’s in f*cking oil protection mode!” Unable to rejoin the race, a caution was called out, and soon race day ended for the HMS driver with his car developing engine issues. 

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Lending his thought’s on the events that unfolded during the second stage, Denny Hamlin said, “Ok, so what likely happened there, it was related because, when he spun around, it probably rolled backwards. The engine probably spun in reverse and then it went into some sort of mode. The ECU put the engine in some sort of mode where oil wasn’t running through it or something. I’m not an engine guy, but that, he couldn’t have rolled backwards five feet.”

Uncharacteristically siding with his former rival, Hamlin defended Bowman’s words, saying, “I have seen where engines will spin backwards when you’re shutting them off to save fuel. Also black smoke will run out and the engine will actually spin backwards and it could cause damage to the engine.”

Further adding how he felt bad post the incident, the JGR driver added, “I don’t know if they are related or not, certainly I feel bad about it, but it just, holy (expletive)! I looked and his car was on fire and I’m like, ‘wait a minute, how’d that happen?’”

Now siding with Bowman and defending his ‘oil-protection’ rant, Denny Hamlin was once involved in a massive feud with the #48 HMS driver.

Denny Hamlin and Alex Bowman clash at the 2021 Cup Series playoff

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The final laps of the 2021 Cup series playoff race at Martinsville had Denny Hamlin leading with Alex Bowman one-tenth of a second behind. With seven laps remaining, Hamlin’s hope of the Martinsville win was shattered as Bowman bumped the rear of Hamlin’s car, causing him to spin out.

Alex Bowman went on to win the race while Denny Hamlin finished in 24th. Unhappy with Bowman’s actions, the JGR #11 driver then proceeded to block Bowman from completing his burnout celebration. The post-race interview saw Denny Hamlin calling Alex Bowman ‘just a hack’. Infuriated at Bowman, Hamlin said, “He’s just a hack. He gets his ass kicked by his (Hendrick Motorsports) teammates every week, and just, he’s f—ing terrible. He’s just terrible and he sees one opportunity and he takes it.” 

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With the JGR #11 driver now siding with Bowman, it is a clear message that Denny Hamlin has buried the hatchet with his former rival.