Sports
Denny Hamlin Remains Conflicted on “Strong Accusations” as He Uncovers Truth About What Happened to Kyle Larson
“Really, all tonight was about was advancing and we did that, so proud of that for sure.” William Byron slipped his true intentions at Bristol after a one-man-army race. While Kyle Larson dominated the Round of 12 playoff decider for a whopping 462 out of 500 laps (most at the short track in 47 years), others could not do much of anything. Goodyear’s tires did not work out, and Rick Hendrick’s drivers did the bare minimum to get by—as Denny Hamlin claims.
The No. 11 Toyota gave a solid effort of his own, advancing to the next round with a P4 finish. However, he couldn’t help but observe the lack of effort on the part of the other Hendrick drivers. Accumulating points and staying above the cutline seemed to have been their goal, and Hamlin seemed to understand why.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race was nothing like the Food City 500. The Spring race was thrilling, to say the least, as everybody from fans to Goodyear executives were baffled to see tremendous tire wear. Drivers were pushed to their very limits in trying to sustain their tires. However, trying to replicate that was an utter failure in the Fall—as last weekend, Kyle Larson ended up dominating. Majorly. Hamlin, on the other hand, was the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver besides Christopher Bell at P5, to make it to the next round. Both Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr were caught speeding on pit road and exited last weekend 11 points and 21 points below the cut line, respectively.
Now, that’s good news for the #11 team, but things were evidently not so hunky-dory when Hamlin made his way to Bristol. This was the same venue where the JGR veteran had won two races back to back. After last year’s night race, he had even taunted fans with the infamous quote, “I beat your favorite driver … all of them.” Then in March, he won again despite the excessive tire wear. However, this time around, the 43-year-old driver was below the cutline with a minus six and very much on his way to get eliminated had “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” not turned out to be savory—which explains why he didn’t try to perform to his full potential. But before we get to that…
Denny Hamlin addresses his haters: “I’m an ulcer in their body”
As the Bass Pro Shops Night Race ran for 500 laps, there was one particular fan whose dedicated was through the roof. Sporting a ‘Chase Elliott’ t-shirt, the fan stood up every single time Denny Hamlin’s car passed him. Another fan noticed this, clicked a picture and took to X to reveal:
The veteran touched upon the hilarious incident on his podcast and revealed how he loves ruffling feathers: “I love making feel some sort of way. For my buddy Steelhorselive, who tweeted that ‘look at this guy that flipped off Denny every lap he came back around’. I mean, that is someone that, ‘Oh, I am just burning up. I’m an ulcer in their body that just is just eating them alive’, and I love that.”
A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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