“You’re Not a Tough Guy” – Denny Hamlin Publicly Calls Out Ricky Stenhouse Jr for Questionable Clash Altercation

Denny Hamlin is not the one to shy away from speaking his mind. The No. 11 driver is well versed in NASCAR’s psychological warfare and understands how the pressure can get to the best of them. Still, something about Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s altercation with John Hunter Nemechek at the Coliseum didn’t sit right with him.

Stenhouse Jr’s Busch Light Clash outing was filled with wrecks and contacts. Unhappy at the mid-race break, the No.47 driver exited his car and confronted Nemechek while the Legacy Motor Club was strapped in. Denny Hamlin noticed Stenhouse Jr trying to pressure the #42 driver and disapproved of it. Talking about his involvement in these situations, Hamlin drew the line for one-on-one fights in the second episode of Actions Detrimental.

Denny Hamlin reveals the unspoken principles of garage fights in NASCAR

After an adrenaline-filled evening of trying to outspeed their competitors, it is only natural for drivers to vent their frustration. In NASCAR, such moments can often take an aggressive twist. Criticism, boos, and punches; Denny Hamlin is up for whatever drivers and fans throw at him. However, when fighting one-on-one with one of his fellow drivers, Hamlin claims there must be a fair fighting ground.

“I don’t know if there’s an unwritten rule, but certainly, it’s not fair,” said Hamlin, slamming Stenhouse Jr’s confrontation at the Coliseum.“You’re not really a tough guy if you go up to someone and punch him while they are strapped in to the car. I’ve been in scuffles before where one of the parties was held down. You can’t throw a punch at someone when someone else is holding them. Like that’s just not fair.”

The heated argument at the Coliseum took Denny Hamlin on a trip to memory lane. The 43-year-old was reminded of a similar incident with Joey Logano at Bristol in 2022. Logano charged into Hamlin’s car after the No. 11 driver spun him in the race. The scuffle even saw several pit members of the two teams separating the two and some throwing punches at each other.

“Some people say there are no rules when it’s fighting,” continued Denny Hamlin. “But if you can’t go 1v1 and you got to have a buddy helping, that’s where I drew an issue where me and Logano deal at Martinsville. One of his crew guys came from behind me, and the old wrap around my neck pulled me backward and threw me to the ground. That’s not a real fight. You should always be face-to-face.“

Further, Denny Hamlin also commended the most violent interaction between two NASCAR drivers in 2023, Ross Chastain vs Noah Gragson, as he said, “That was a real fight because they were face to face. I didn’t see it coming, and unfortunately, he didn’t get the counter before the others came in.”

As the conversation with his partner Jared Allen continued, Denny further revealed a similar altercation with former driver Kyle Petty and dissected the disagreement between Nemechek and Stenhouse Jr.

Watch This Story: 7 worst wrecks involving Ross Chastain that proved detrimental to his rivals

Kyle Petty faced off against Hamlin in the garage once

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Before getting ahead with his anecdotes of garage fights with other drivers, Denny Hamlin took a deep dive into the aggression from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Revealing the precise details of the situation, Denny claimed, “It looks like he shook the nose of his helmet.”

“I was looking at it, and his body is kind of blocking it, but you can see John Hunter’s helmet shaking pretty big, and Ricky’s hand was definitely in there. I don’t think we are supposed to get out of our cars at halftime, but Ricky felt like it was time to do it.”

While Denny Hamlin disclosed that he had never tried to do such a thing with another driver, he has been on the receiving end a few times. Kyle Petty and Hamlin collided at Dover in 2007, the only other incident of Hamlin being roughed up in his car, apart from Bristol 2022.

“I’ve never done that. I have had it done to me,” continued Hamlin. “Kyle Petty at Dover, right? We were in the garage, and he came over to me. That’s where he slashes my visor down. Then Joey Logano at Bristol. He’s trying to come to my car, and I acknowledge him. I would’ve surely talked to him as soon as I got out of the car. He was wanting to talk to me as I’m strapped in and helmet on and all that. If we got to fight, I got to get out of the car.“

Considering Hamlin’s constant involvement in controversial moments, his stance on the situation is interesting. On the other hand, his reasoning to allow your opponent an equal footing when facing off is a reasonable argument, too.

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