“Larson Is Getting a Bit Tired” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Believes Kyle Larson’s Altercation With Denny Hamlin Highlights His Turmoiled HMS Relations

“Shut the f*** up.” These were Kyle Larson’s words, when his spotter critiqued his defense as Denny Hamlin pushed him toward the wall at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Tyler Monn, the spotter for the #5 HMS crew, voiced his frustration with Larson’s decision not to seek payback. Larson’s response to Monn may come off as rude, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. has his back.

According to Dale Earnhardt Jr, this incident at NHMS during the USA Today 301 highlighted how Larson and his crew may have different opinions on how to deal with on track challenges.

Hendrick Motorsports wants Kyle Larson to update his payback policy, per Dale Earnhardt Jr

As Denny Hamlin sidelined the #5 HMS Camaro ZL1 to chase after Tyler Reddick’s #45 Camry XSE, Larson didn’t retaliate on the track and remained focused on the race. But the#5’s spotter was visibly frustrated. “He runs you like that every time, you know why because you let it happen,” Monn said. But Larson was having none of it, as he immediately retorted; “Shut the f*** up.”

Analyzing what went down, Dale Earnhardt Jr looked into the relationships at HMS and how Larson may have reached a boiling point. The NASCAR veteran shared on the Dale Jr Download; “Kyle Larson I think is getting a bit tired of the prodding from those individuals he relies on to support him, right? We’ve seen and heard this a little bit before where his crew chief can be quite blunt and straight up with him about what’s going on or what he needs to do.”

Later, Junior said that Larson didn’t want to be dictated on how to handle what was going on the track. “That was a ‘I have had it, get your s**t together,” he added.

Larson managed to keep his composure and finish the race in the fourth spot, while Hamlin ended up in the 24th place. This would justify Larson’s approach of not getting swayed in the heat of the moment and reacting abruptly, which may have lead to dire consequences.

According to Junior, Kyle Larson is not a guy who won’t use his bumper, but at the same time, the #5 driver is cautious with every move. In the case of Denny Hamlin, Junior felt that Larson couldn’t have done much to stop a charging Hamlin from maneuvering past him eventually. Larson was essentially on a two-tire deficit and had the situations been reversed, he would have done the same to Hamlin.

Thus, Earnhardt Jr felt that the #5 spotter’s comments sent Larson over the edge. Junior further added, “Now, you know the next time he gets to him, could he punt him up the racetrack? Yeah. And I think that’s what they kind of want him to do. Like, let Denny know on track that you’re sick of it, like ‘next time we’re in that situation, you’re not going to take the corner, you’re gonna give me room and race me fair.”

But Earnhardt Jr. also pointed out that spotters have to be careful with how they approach the drivers or as we saw with Larson, they will retaliate, which might not be a good look for the team. “And what does that look like publicly? Doesn’t that look like Larson cracked the whip? I mean, when you watch that play out publicly,” he pointed out.

If Hendrick Motorsports is expecting Kyle Larson to be more aggressive on the track, was it the right call for his spotter to share criticisms during such a heated moment? Whichever way the pendulum swings, one thing’s for sure: Kyle Larson will stand his ground.

“He isn’t an overly aggressive guy,” Earnhardt Jr. believes Larson sent a message to his team with his fiery retort

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Across the Cup Series, Kyle Larson is perhaps one of the more ‘peace-loving’ drivers. Unlike Kyle Busch or Ricky Stenhouse Jr, the #5 HMS driver prefers to do all his talking on the track. That being said, he still isn’t one to showcase great aggression or ‘road rage’. Instead, the #5 driver has always channeled his dilemmas into consistency.

That being said, Dale Earnhardt Jr believes that if HMS expects Larson bring out his aggressive side, then micro-managing his on-track retaliation is not the way to go. The JR Motorsports veteran shared, “I think Kyle has that in him but he doesn’t really, I think it’s way deep in the toolbox. He’s not an overly aggressive guy when you push him around a little bit, he doesn’t get too crazy, he just races.”

According to Junior, the added pressure from his spotter and crew chief certainly doesn’t help the #5 star and has his own way of dealing with the situation. “I think they’re trying to tell him, ‘Look man, stop letting that happen,’ and he ain’t wanting to hear that, from his guys. So he snapped, and finally shot back, and made it pretty clear that, that type of information from his spotter isn’t something he’s going to want to hear anytime in the future.”

Does this hint at some friction in HMS? We may not have to wait too long to observe, as The Ally 400 at Nashville takes place this Sunday, June 30.