“I Did Lift”: Kyle Larson Responds to Denny Hamlin’s Dismal Post-Race Justification, Reveals What Hurt Him the Most

The Denny Hamlin-Kyle Larson saga isn’t coming to an end anytime soon. The two came into Pocono as good friends who had a fair share of admiration for the other. But coming into Richmond, there seem to be signs of bad blood between the two. After Hamlin denied any contact on Turn 1 in a post-race press conference, Larson felt that he had a right to be angry despite trying hard to understand the reason behind Denny’s actions.

Larson took Hamlin’s statements with a hint of surprise as he explained on FloRacing’s popular talk show High Limit Room. Larson’s original intentions were to try to resolve the issue and cut the matter short by dismissing it as a common event in racing. Disclosing his feelings about the adamant stance of Hamlin, the Hendrick Motorsports #5 Camaro driver tells everyone the reason for his frustration.

Kyle Larson said Hamlin did what he deemed was right

The incident has not been welcome in the community at all. And considering Denny Hamlin‘s involvement in such wrecks regularly, year after year, fans have begun to turn against him. Larson believed that even if he tried to engage further in this situation, it won’t reverse the outcome or his lost efforts. But on the other hand, he added that one should only reach out to apologize if they truly mean it and not just as a formality.

“You know, with the racing stuff, it’s just… I don’t know, it’s just an awkward conversation that doesn’t really change anything. It doesn’t change the result that happened,” said this season’s million-dollar winner at North Wilkesboro.

“In situations where you truly are sorry, I think it’s important to reach out and say you’re sorry. But again it doesn’t change the result, it probably doesn’t change the way that person feels about you. And then there are times where I mean you’re not sorry, and you shouldn’t have to reach out so I know he’s not sorry. He shouldn’t be sorry, you know. He did what he thought he had to do to win the race, and he ultimately won the race.”

Larson’s statements so far would make one wonder that maybe he has tried to solve the matter as a responsible driver who can understand the gravity of intense pressure like the one at Pocono. But as the conversation went on, Larson notified that he could only hold on to that belief for so long. After Hamlin denied any wrongdoing with the bump into the left side of his car, the 30-year-old had to bring up the SMT data to clarify some misconceptions.

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Larson held Hamlin accountable for putting people in a tough position

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Earlier, Kyle Larson stated that he was ready to get some respect back from Hamlin. With the amount of competition witnessed on the tracks every week, a single mistake can prove to be very costly in the long run. Larson who was in contention to make it to the higher positions and clocked good speeds in the qualifying, was visibly annoyed with how his race ended.

Hamlin said that he allowed one lane for Larson to maintain his position while evidence clearly indicated that the #11 driver was the one who hit the left side of the #5 and spun him into the wall and the back of the race. Larson said,

“I’ve looked at SMT, I was off the throttle as soon as he hit me all the way until I hit the wall. So, when he says you know, you have a choice to lift, I did lift. So, all that stuff just pisses me off.”

Larson even used the case of #4 driver Kevin Harvick‘s who was one of the drivers to witness it live and up close. Accusing Hamlin of being ignorant of his mistakes, he brought up his history of destroying other drivers’ races.

“After the race, you don’t have the time to look at SMT. He probably didn’t… Maybe his opinion changes a little bit today, but I know he feels a certain way about, I guess, the way that I race or he thinks that I race. But I’ve seen him put more people in that position than I’ve put in that position.”

Well, it looks like Kyle Larson is not going to back out of the war of words for now. As for what events we will get to see at Richmond, it remains to be seen next week. Until then, clouds of tension will surround both parties.

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