It’s no secret that Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin have been pushing each other hard. Whether it was at Kansas and Pocono last year, or Gateway, Iowa, and New Hampshire this season, it was more of the same at Ally 400 when the pair had an on-track feud at Nashville Superspeedway. While these two frenemies are fiery competitors who are just looking to win the race each week, on-track incidents between them have rekindled Kyle Busch’s respect debate.

With Kyle Larson looking to “move on” from the Ally 400, the Hendrick Motorsports driver echoed Kyle Busch’s sentiments about a lack of respect being shown for competitors on the race track.

Kyle Larson wants bygones to be bygones

One of the biggest talking points about the Ally 400 was the on-track feud between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. The pair are arguably two of the best drivers on the grid, which means an incident between the two was bound to make headlines. It all began when Larson ran Hamlin at the end of Stage 2, prompting the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to attempt a retaliation, only to be stopped by his crew chief, Chris Gabehart. Kyle Larson then pushed Hamlin into Turn 1 on Lap 305 onto Ross Chastain, after which the 43-year-old bumped into him.

Hoping to put the incident behind him once and for all, Kyle Larson spoke to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He said, “Where I’m at I think, you know, Nashville’s is really the first time that I’ve got to, you know, I feel like in my mind, show that I’m over it. Or like over the way that I’ve been raced. Now going forward I think I’m ready to move on, I’ve got zero issue at this point. I would like a little bit of respect on the race track and a little bit more room than maybe I’ve been given.

“Yeah, I think if we do that we can go back to racing fair and challenging each other fairly for wins. I think that we are the two top teams in the sport right now so we’re going to be battling for a lot more wins together and all that throughout the races and all that. So, I’ve enjoyed racing him in the past, it’s just we’ve had a few run-ins. Like I said, I’m ready to just move on and go back to having fun racing each other. Nashville is what it is and like I said, ready to move on,” he further added.

It was interesting to note that Kyle Larson spoke about being shown respect on the race track, as it echoed what Kyle Busch said about drivers showing a lack of respect for their competitors.

Speaking at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2023, Rowdy urged drivers to be more ethical on the racetrack, going as far as to say, “We have completely lost any sense of respect in the garage between drivers.” He urged drivers to remember the etiquette that was followed by NASCAR drivers such as Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Jarrett as something that should be followed in the present day as well.

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson have had a history of such incidents. At Kansas last year, Hamlin bumped into Larson to secure a win. A similar incident happened in Pocono last July when Hamlin drove Larson into the wall, thereby securing his seventh win on the track.

In the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, Denny Hamlin drove Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet up the track during Stage 2. After a year’s frustration built up, it was Larson’s turn in Nashville, an incident that was described as an “eye for an eye” by the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. And as usual, fans had their say regarding it all.

Surprising reactions to Larson wanting to be shown more respect

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After Kyle Larson’s interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, fans took to social media to comment on his views about being shown more respect by Denny Hamlin on the racetrack. One fan accused him of hypocrisy, accusing Larson of doing the very things he is blaming others for doing. The fan wrote, “Larson is the most disrespectful driver on the track. He doesn’t worry about being respected when he uses drivers up on a regular basis.”

Despite winning the championship in 2021 and having 26 Cup Series race wins, one fan believes that Kyle Larson needs to earn respect on the racetrack instead of asking for it. Writing on Instagram, the fan said, “Bro forgot the rule of respect, you don’t ask for it, you earn it.” Another fan asked Larson to make a move on Denny Hamlin when it truly matters, instead of retaliating during the regular season. The Instagram user wrote, “Just wait until the playoffs and move the 11”.

Recounting the time Bubba Wallace spun Kyle Larson on the racetrack at Richmond, eventually causing overtime, a fan wrote, “This is coming from Mr dirty driver himself. You think he stop after Bubba put him in place”. One fan felt that Denny Hamlin is not capable of giving respect, saying “From Hamlin never” as a response to Kyle Larson’s interview uploaded on Instagram.

Do you think this is the end of Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin’s beef? Let us know in the comments!