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via Imago

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With the regular season reaching its finale at Daytona, the scene was set for an epic showdown. But what the community couldn’t anticipate was the carnage that followed. The atmosphere on the high-speed track had an eerie, ominous feeling, culminating in a vicious crash at the end of Stage 2. The horrific wreck reminded the community of the fatal accident of Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Reflecting on Ryan Blaney’s vicious crash into the outside wall, veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin let his thoughts run wild as he simply threw his JGR teammates under the bus. The outspoken driver already has ruffled some feathers with his latest comments about his boss’ grandson and the sharp comments rub salt in the wound.

Denny Hamlin ups the ante as he sells out his teammate who brought back the 22-year-old trauma

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Saturday’s Cup Series race was unlike any we’ve seen in recent times. Other than Team Penske‘s Ryan Blaney’s unfortunate head-on collision, the race had no similarities with any other recent events. With that being said, Blaney’s wreck also brought back the traumatizing memories of Dale Earnhardt Sr’s fatal crash in 2001.

While The Intimidator’s son had this apprehension of a wild race, the eerie and uneasy feeling that crept through the NASCAR nation finally culminated at the end of Stage 2. The #12 driver yet again got rattled, following a high-speed tangle with Joe Gibbs‘ grandson, Ty Gibbs tipping off the domino as he bumped the Ford into the wall at triple-digit speeds.

What followed was pure carnage. As Blaney’s car hit the outer wall, the field witnessed one of the worst pile-ups in recent times involving Gibbs and 10 other cars. Reflecting on the horrendous crash, Denny Hamlin chimed in with his take on ‘Action Detrimental’.

Being a veteran of the sport with close to 20 years in NASCAR’s top-tier division, Hamlin mentioned the alarming trend as he threw his teammate under the bus.

I know for a really long time the worst statistical place to be in the field was 7th to 8th. That typically was the first where the first part of the wreck would get started and as we’ve gone to this 2×2 racing with Next-Gen, the number is like 2 and 3, it’s at the front so there is no place to hide anymore except for the very back but if you’re in the very back, you lose track position and unless the field clears itself out you’re not going to win.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin swears loyalty elsewhere amidst contract talks with Joe Gibbs 

While the veteran exposed the distressing trend, mentioning how Blaney (running front) was put into the wall, Hamlin didn’t stop there. Speaking on his popular podcast, the 42-year-old driver reiterated the dos and don’ts in the sport.

“You just cannot push…” – Denny Hamlin points out his teammate’s critical error that ticked the pile-up

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While the #17 Ford racked up his 3rd win of the season, Denny Hamlin managed to stay clear of the wreck and finished 26th. Unfortunately for JGR teammate – Ty Gibbs, who was eyeing a decisive result to make the playoffs in his rookie season, things did not go according to plan.

Tensions flared up with the field going 3-wide on a high-flowing speedway like Daytona. Running at the front and chasing Blaney was Gibbs, who was closely followed by Christopher Bell, who, in an effort to get his teammate and clear a path, pushed Gibbs.

Unfortunately, Bell’s decision got the Xfinity Series champion to DNF. But before that, during all the kerfuffle, Gibbs lost control of the car and bumped into the #12 Ford, which went straight into the wall with the rest of the pack thundering down.

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With his co-host, Jared Allen confirming Bell was pushing the #54, Hamlin reiterated, saying, “Just can’t push in the corner, I mean I think we all should by now, you just cannot push in the corner with these cars, it’s just the track is just too slick especially turn 4 is by far the slickest corner that we have at Daytona.” 

Highlighting the complex nature of the track, Hamlin enlightened the younger drivers. He said, “I’m not sure, but turn 4 has always been the trickiest corner that we got on superspeedeways and you just can’t push, you just cannot push as long as you are in a corner.” 

On the upside, NASCAR safety innovations did what it was supposed to – saving the #12 driver from fatality. Hamlin then subtly took a jab, saying, “I get it they were pushing, trying to get to the line, but it’s a stage like it’s not the end of the world and yeah you saw the #54 get pushed from the #20 so he got out of shape and then it hooked the #12, man, tough spot, wow, did you see the wall deflect? That was crazy.” 

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Who do you think was at fault here?

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin Sends Heartbreaking 3-Word Message to Departing Legend