Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin were set for another showdown at the Iowa Corn 350. Initially, it seemed like a duel between Larson and Ryan Blaney, but Josh Berry and Chris Buescher took turns leading too. While Denny Hamlin couldn’t break into the top five, Joe Gibbs Racing’s short-track legend did manage to ruffle Kyle Larson‘s feathers on the track.

The rivalry took a back seat when both drivers were caught up in a wreck, ending their chances at victory. After the race, however, both Hamlin and Larson had positive words to say about each other.

Kyle Larson acquits an apologetic Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin faltered right off the bat at Iowa Speedway. Despite sporting two short-track titles this year, his No. 11 Toyota fell like a rock after just the first five laps. Hamlin even ran outside the top 20 and peeked beyond the 30th spot at a point. But after lap 150, Hamlin surged ahead, managing to crack the top ten. Then, on lap 172, the JGR No. 11 punted Larson’s No. 5 in turn 2, eliciting expletives from his rival.

But after the race ended, surprisingly, the two adopted a softer approach. Despite his on-track frustration, Kyle Larson changed his mind about the incident. Denny Hamlin, as well, got a clean chit from his 2023 Pocono rival, as he said, “Yeah, we lapped him. I don’t know, he got…slightly got into the back of me, and got me at the racetrack. So I doubt it was intentional. I wouldn’t see why it would be intentional. Yeah, I was just frustrated but we’ve gone fine.”

Hamlin, who is usually known for his nonchalant attitude, also broke custom. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver owned up to his mistake: “It was my mistake. I gassed up too soon and ran him back up.” This marks a sharp reversal of his attitude at Pocono, where he firmly denied touching the Hendrick Motorsports driver.

But that could be because of the common wreck that overshadowed both drivers’ Iowa fates. Around lap 220, Daniel Suarez got into Larson’s left side and spun him. The No. 5 Chevy smashed into the outer wall and collected Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota as well. This ruckus threw both rivals out of contention, leading them to focus on Suarez’s tactics. Larson called him out, but he also observed his own mistake.

However, the HMS star is not too happy with Suarez

Kyle Larson dominated the Iowa Corn 350, leading for 80 laps, with Ryan Blaney as his closest competitor. However, his smooth run hit a major snag in the final stage when Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Chevy caused a wreck, impacting Larson’s No. 5 car. Despite this setback, Suarez managed to secure a top-ten finish, while Denny Hamlin struggled, finishing in 24th place.

Larson, who had earlier claimed the pole position and won stage 2, saw his fortunes plummet to 34th by the race’s end. Needless to say, Larson was far from pleased with how things turned out.

Post-race, Kyle Larson reflected on the incident, collecting some of the blame for himself. He said, “If I could see a replay, I would tell you what went wrong, if it was my fault or what. I mean, obviously, if I don’t go three-wide there, there’s probably no crash but I’m probably running sixth into Turn 1 so, but either way sixth is better than a crash.”

But then he called out Suarez’s violent tactics, “Like I said, I think just, I should have been more aware of who I was around. Suárez is really aggressive, and I don’t know. He was probably just pushing and got loose, I’m guessing, underneath me.”

Hence, a dominant run at the Cup Series’ inaugural Iowa race ended in misfortune for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. But he would indubitably be able to make up for his Iowa loss in the near future. What are your views on Kyle Larson’s performance at Iowa Speedway?