“Did That on Purpose”—NASCAR Fandom Holds Denny Hamlin Responsible for Averting Kyle Larson’s Retaliation on Bubba Wallace

Assumptions or observations? What are NASCAR fans’ comments usually based on? It’s true that Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas was one of its kind. Be the absence of stage break cautions or crossovers from various motorsports including IMSA champion Jordan Taylor and F1 champions Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button, there was a lot to look forward to. However, amidst all these events, what caught the attention of fans was a Stage 1 contact between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson.

As reported by the Charlotte Observer, around Turn 12, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace made contact with Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson. As Wallace got into the rear of the #5, Larson lost control and spun across the track. But what’s more interesting is that even though Larson managed to get back to the track, another collision spun the Hendrick Motorsports driver.

While entering the pit road, Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Denny Hamlin collided with Larson while he was pulling up ahead of  Wallace’s #23. Although at first glimpse it looks like a run-of-the-mill crash, some fans believe that it was more than that.

On close observation, a few fans found that Hamlin purposely got into Larson. Citing that Hamlin assumed Larson was trying to wreck Wallace due to their contact earlier, a few Instagram users felt like being the co-owner of 23XI Racing was trying to protect Wallace and his car from #5.

READ MORE: After the Kyle Larson Assault Controversy, Bubba Wallace Claims to Have “Unfinished Business” at Vegas

NASCAR fans speculate that Denny Hamlin purposely wrecked Kyle Larson

As soon as NASCAR on Fox shared a clip of the incident on Instagram, theories of Denny Hamlin wrecking Kyle Larson on purpose began springing up in the comments section. One Instagram user wrote, “You could see Denny turned into him,” while another added, “Denny did that on purpose.”

One of the fans urged the 23XI Racing co-owner and his driver to grow up. They wrote, “Hamlin 10000 percent thought Larson was coming to Jack up Bubba so he wrecked him. Bubba and Hamlin need to grow up.”

Some others seemed frustrated at Hamlin’s assumptions, “Denny if you want to play big brother retire. That was a bush league action” 

Apart from this, a few others alleged that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was actually trying to protect his car. One Instagram user commented, “Denny protecting his car. He can say what he wants but it clear too see.”

Moreover, citing his recent $50,000 penalty, a few others questioned if Hamlin will admit that he purposely wrecked Larson on his podcast. The comment read, “And Hamlin pretty much spun him because he thought Larson was going after the 23 car. Hamlin! No class! Is he gonna admit he tried to wreck Larson in a podcast this week!!??”

To be fair, based on Wallace and Larson’s infamous altercation last season, Hamlin’s assumption wasn’t exactly far-fetched. However, according to fans, spinning out Larson on the way to pit road was definitely not the best course of action taken by Hamlin.

WATCH THIS STORY: Bubba Wallace Hilariously Reacts to “R&D” Claim After Outrunning Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin at COTA