Denny Hamlin was involved in yet another dramatic finish to the race on Sunday. The 42-year-old brought forth his best form at the Kansas Speedway to dominate for a good duration at a track where continues to reign supreme. However, the course of events that followed his dominance didn’t favor him enough as he fumbled another huge opportunity to win in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Fans have pitted him against several drivers including the likes of Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, and even 23XI Racing driver and the victor in Kansas, Tyler Reddick. Well, Denny did have to fend off these powerhouses in order to clinch the win, but according to him the roots of his loss might lie in a completely different reason.
Denny Hamlin calls out drivers for ‘playing stupid games’
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The latest episode on his podcast, Actions Detrimental, was clouded by the elephant in the room. Denny Hamlin and his story with unfortunate finishes continued the pattern that started at Darlington. Chris Buescher‘s wrecking in the final laps of the race brought out the caution flags, which shifted the momentum away from Hamlin. Instead, the field was a level playing ground with the introduction of the cautions.
Speaking to his co-host and long-time partner Jarred Allen, the #11 driver for Joe Gibbs Racing said that the answer to the question of what went wrong at the restart has a deeper solution.
“There’s cars spread out all over the front stretch.” claimed Denny. “All that is because somebody started laying back. Then somebody else started reacting laying back. They laid back, then the next car laid back. And if you look, there was two rows organized and that was the first two rows of the field. Everyone else was spread way out because everyone’s playing these stupid games at the end. That’s bulls***.”
Should NASCAR do more to discourage 'laying back' on restarts? ✋
📺 FULL CLIP: https://t.co/G8oQigyMRW
👤 @dennyhamlin | @jareddallen pic.twitter.com/ju9JAe8FbF— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) September 11, 2023
On analyzing his statement one might feel that there might just be some reason for his claim. Although he could have done better to shift his focus from Kyle Larson to the cars ahead of him on the restart, he lost significant momentum with the caution coming out.
However, as usual, the NASCAR fandom hasn’t shown any particular liking to his comments. Bashing him for his reasoning, the fans have exclaimed that Denny is just trying to hide his shortcomings with these statements.
Read More: “Had Logano Won That Race”- Denny Hamlin Takes a Sly 6-Word Dig at Team Penske Nemesis
Fans tear through Hamlin’s words about laying back
Trending
Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Pruett Pens a Heartfelt Message for Husband After His Unwavering Support for His Family
“We Are Not Morning People”- Travel Woes Hit Home for Kyle Busch & Wife Samantha Leaving Son Brexton Grinning
“Godspeed Les” – NASCAR Loses Old School Pioneer Integral to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Late Model Venture
Joe Gibbs Drops a Bombshell Without Warning, Leaves Denny Hamlin Shocked
Denny Hamlin’s One Final FedEx Tribute Steals the NASCAR Awards Spotlight as He Uncovers Drivers ‘Disgruntled’ Emotions
Hamlin must be wondering about the results of the races at Darlington and Kansas if not for the last-minute setbacks. A spin at Darlington and a restart at Kansas, both of them very late in the race meant Denny had next to no time to rectify these. Although he battled back to P2 at Kansas, he felt he could have taken way more out of the race.
But the fandom has been ruthless on Hamlin. One fan commented that Denny had no business being concerned about what other cars on the grid did in the race. He said, “100% can’t influence the car behind you like that.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Another fan indicated having control over their actions as he shed light on how such incidents are a part and parcel of the sport. He replied, “The drivers are in control of this. They need to handle it themselves.”
“Denny is deflecting because he got caught. Nothing more, nothing less. Pathetic.”
“All I hear is complaining. Probably would have won if he just focused forward” commented a fan without any consideration for Hamlin’s words. Another fan deflected, “What are you complaining about?”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
While the tug-of-war between the fans and Hamlin continues, the JGR ace will be focused on what lies ahead of him in the playoffs. Although the team has most likely secured a spot in the next round, he would love to top it off with a win.
Watch This Story | NASCAR Fans Savagely Trash Denny Hamlin for Wrecking Himself at Sonoma