
via Imago
Image Credits: Imago

via Imago
Image Credits: Imago
Kansas, it was a landmark win for Denny Hamlin, his first of the season, 49th of his career which equaled with him Tony Stewart in the all-time wins list, along with it being Joe Gibbs Racing’s 400th win. By all accounts, it should’ve been a perfect day for the veteran.
But it wasn’t.
Because the way in which this win and all those landmarks came was a bit questionable to say the least. Hamlin, who ran upto for most of the race, found himself fighting for the win with Kyle Larson who was in the lead.
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With two to go, it was Larson who was still ahead, white flag waved, Hamlin closed the gap, now almost bumper to bumper, side drafting, and as the #5 entered the last few turns, he got loose, and loose enough to hit the wall slightly which led to the #11 making contact with him and getting the lead.
DENNY HAMLIN WINS AT KANSAS AFTER AN EPIC BATTLE WITH KYLE LARSON! pic.twitter.com/2wfK5BnhVm
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 7, 2023
Now, this was something, what Hamlin did, which some agreed with, but many disagreed with in the fanbase, as was clear from the reactions on a tweet by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Fans call out Hamlin after Dale Earnhardt Jr’s cheeky reaction after Kansas
After Hamlin won the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr put out a two-word reaction which would sound, not just incredibly familiar to the #11 driver, but also quite relatable for the wrong reasons.
“Actions Detrimental,” Junior tweeted, which led to a lot of fans demanding Hamlin’s actions turn detrimental for him.
Eventually these actions will end his career.
— Joshua (The Bowtie) Boston (@JoshuapBoston1) May 7, 2023
@dennyhamlin can’t hate on Ross when you are wrecking somebody on the straightaway to win because you couldn’t pass them clean. One thing in a turn but cornering somebody on a straightaway lol
— Justin Mathis (@Jmat1919) May 7, 2023
He needed content for his podcast
— Real Deal Aneil (@realdealAneil) May 7, 2023
Kyle owes him one when the playoffs come around.
— Chris J541 (@ChrisJameson541) May 7, 2023
The crowd wasn’t very happy with him either. Lots of boo’s.
— KJ (@akhkjp) May 7, 2023
Watch This Story: Tony Stewart’s Bombshell Announcement Puts Him in Hot Water, Requiring Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Help to Diffuse
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Denny Hamlin reacts to nudging Larson who admits the #11 had him “out of control”
In a post-race interview, Denny Hamlin admitted he had “position” on Larson as he was trying to side draft him to make the all-important pass. “I got position on him there, was trying to side-draft him but clipped his left rear,” Hamlin said as per NASCAR.
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“Glad he was able to at least finish.”

via Imago
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Media Day Feb 15, 2023 Daytona Beach, Florida, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin 11 talks with the press during media day at Daytona International Speedway. Daytona Beach Daytona International Speedway Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJohnxDavidxMercerx 20230215_jdm_sx1_098
As for Larson, he admitted he hasn’t “seen a replay” of the incident but he had a few things clear in his head nevertheless.
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“Obviously, he was side-drafting really aggressively, like he would. He was touching me, it felt like, and it had me really out of control,” Larson added.
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