Denny Hamlin Unmasks SVG’s Unmatched Goodyear Advantage; Points Fingers at NASCAR for Sonoma Controversy

Shane van Gisbergen was nothing short of spectacular at the Sonoma race. He clinched his second straight victory after an impressive win in Portland last week. And to cap off his epic win, Shane celebrated with an equally epic burnout!

But what made the burnout even more iconic was that he did it just beside Austin Hill, whom he “doored” to get his lead in the race. Well, that was quite controversial! While Hill looks like a villain here, it’s crucial to know that he was just giving back what Austin Hill had started. Austin had shoved him into COTA and essentially taken away SVG’s chance of victory. Gisbergen in a tit-for-tat fashion, gave it back to Austin Hill in Sonoma. A move that Denny Hamlin said that SVG clearly “gives no f**ks about! 

And that’s not the only opinion Hamlin has about the entire thing. He actually has a lot more to say!

Denny Hamlin drags the Kiwi star and says he is a rough dude!

The NASCAR world loves drama, action, speed, and a little bit of spice, and what better than drivers with rivalry? Fans ate it up, and Shane van Gisbergen just served them a whole new menu. Austin Hill and Gisbergen are the new rivals people are talking about. And it might be true because Austin Hill was red with fury when he came out of his car in Sonoma.

He even pleaded the fifth with FOX, saying he didn’t want to talk about the situation and that fans could decide who’s right or wrong! Fans stand divided, with one clan supporting SVG and saying how he did the right thing, as Hill was definitely bullying him on track at COTA. While the others support Hill, they have started taking out SVG’s dirty laundry in the open. Saying how rash driving is his MO! 

Denny Hamlin, however, is pretty clear, and in his podcast Actions Detrimental, he mentioned that Hill’s at the worst end of the exchange, undoubtedly, and Shane van Gisbergen, according to him, is “a rough dude.” The JGR driver says that SVG didn’t have to make that rough move. Because he had speed and technique, he also had the advantage of being able to easily get around Austin Hill. What advantage do you ask for?

In Hamlin’s words, “I think he still had enough speed and technique to get around Austin because the tire cooled back off. So, it’s very easy to hit your mark when everything is hot and very difficult to hit your mark when everything cools back down. And that’s where Shane really excels: when everyone else is just slip-sliding around, trying to get heat in their tires, and missing their mark. That’s where he’s going to pounce.”

Denny Hamlin feels that, with such an advantage, SVG didn’t need to do what he did. He feels that the Kiwi driver could have been more patient and picked Hill off cleanly. But he didn’t end there. Hamlin, being Hamlin, put NASCAR on the spot, saying, “He’s [SVG] run in NASCAR enough now to know these guys just run into each other.”

He even said that Shane van Gisbergen is loving NASCAR’s “Rubbin’ is racing” mantra. Highlighting the importance of physical contact, or “rubbing,” between cars as a fundamental aspect of the sport! According to him, SvG just wanted to join the party! And he has some advice for the new NASCAR rookie.

No. 11 star’s advice for the Kiwi racing star

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If there was a savage moment in Sonoma, there was not one but two—both served cold by SVG to Austin Hill. First, he did a celebratory burnout on his face. And second, by confessing without batting an eyelid that well, “I hate racing and thinking like that, but to me, we’ve both taken a race win off each other now.” Indicating the cold war going on. 

But top driver Hamlin has some advice for SVG. And he just feels that now that SVG has settled his score with Hill over what happened in COTA, he should race clean the next time. He said, “I think that if the score is level, then I think Shane probably needs to keep clean from here on now because he’s certainly opening himself up to Austin. [He’s] really going to knock him out of the way when he needs to for a future win or future position.”

Hamlin emphasizes that Austin Hill is not one to back off! He said that when the time does come, the No. 21 wheelman won’t hesitate about moving SVG in the season. Well, only time can say if this was a one-off affair or if there is something darker brewing underneath. And whether it’s the start of another driver rivalry. After SvG’s win in Sonoma, he has climbed four spots in the Xfinity rankings and sits in 10th now.