“It’s Time to Get That Respect Back” – Kyle Larson Is Ready to Payback Denny Hamlin for Overstepping His Bounds

Following an ecstatic race that saw plenty of action at The Tricky Triangle, NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin once again proved his dominance at the 2.5-mile speedway with a rather controversial finish to claim his 7th win at the iconic track. While the win brought him his 50th career win in NASCAR’s top-tier division, it came at the cost of nudging past his close friend and HMS star, Kyle Larson.

Pocono Raceway unveiled its trickery as the race itself was an action-packed event with more than 5,000 fans on the edge of their seats. The race came to an anti-climatic end as Denny Hamlin took the lead from Larson in the closing laps after he pulled off the same move he did to Ross Chastain last year.

While the packed crowd in the stands expressed their emotion, booing the veteran unapologetically, not only was Larson’s chance of a third win snatched from him, but the Hendrick Motorsports driver had to be content with being 20th at the end of the race. Furious over Hamlin’s act, Larson called him out, hinting at a possible payback, saying, “I have to get that respect back.”

Kyle Larson hints at payback after the Pocono weekend

NASCAR is known for its aggressive racing. While the motto has had resounding effects on the sport, it has also caused major rifts among friends and teams. And the most recent race at Pocono had something similar between two close friends, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson.

Kyle Larson’s hopes of claiming his third win of the season were quickly squashed by his friend when he pulled a near-identical move similar to the one he did with Chastain at Pocono in 2022. While the No. 11 Toyota Camry driver is often lauded for his outspoken and honest approach to the game, it’s these totally ironic incidents that cast a shadow of doubt on the driver’s character, with fans deeming his action “hypocritical.”

And much like his first win of the season at Kansas, Denny Hamlin adopted the same trick when he ran Larson wide into the wall, essentially turning Larson’s winning chance into a miserable 20th-spot finish at the end of the race. Speaking to flo racing after the race, when asked about the whole fiasco, Kyle Larson said,

“Yeah, I mean I feel like I can’t deny that I have not you know made moves exactly the same way as that or out others in tough spots but you know I feel like I can expect to be raced that same way back from those people where I haven’t put Denny(Hamlin) in the wall, I haven’t, I’ve been spun off his front bumper many of times now so uh yeah I think eventually I’ve got to get that respect back because I obviously don’t have it on his end.” 

READ MORE: War Breaks Out Between Rick Hendrick & Joe Gibbs Aces After Kyle Larson’s Retaliation Triggers Denny Hamlin’s “Penalty” Rant

Though the #5 driver doesn’t want the on-track antics to tarnish his friendship with Hamlin, the latest incident seems to have altered Larson’s thoughts, revealing his intentions.

“My full intention is not to give him an inch.”  Kyle Larson gets brutally honest about his intentions for Denny Hamlin

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Often lauded as a once-in-a-generation talent, HMS ace, Kyle Larson is indeed a skilled driver on road courses, speedways, or dirt surfaces. The man seems to have everything figured out except how to stand his ground against friendly aggression.

While the calm and reserved Larson has shown his ugly side, T-boning Chastain out of the race at Dover and returning the favor to the over-aggressive Trackhouse Racing driver, Larson just couldn’t shake off Hamlin’s passive aggression. Patience and its virtues seem to be the last thing on his mind as he deems Hamlin’s action “intentional.”

He said, “I’ve been actually, I would say upset with the stuff that’s happened from him to me just because it was intentional, you know he went in there to you know run as close as he could to my left side which he did hit me, I know he says he didn’t but you know the replays clearly show that he makes contact with me and then my car shoots up the racetrack so you know it was intentional move.” 

While the HMS driver shared his doubts about whether his friend wanted to put him into the wall, Larson revealed his altered mindset, saying, “so it sucks but yeah you learn from things like that and you know you race people, you’re differently going for it, so that’s my full intention, is to not give him an inch like he hasn’t been giving me you know a quarter of an inch.” 

With Larson revealing his mindset, the next races will be crucial, as we can anticipate a hellraiser from the HMS driver to get back on his winning ways.

WATCH THIS STORY: 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin favors rival Trckhouse Racing driver over his own driver Bubba Wallace