Denny Hamlin Takes a Shot at Kyle Larson as the HMS Driver Brings Up Petty Issues

After the Wurth 400 Race, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch expressed their displeasure in their respective post-race interviews at Dover, blaming their loss primarily on the aero blocking associated with the next-gen cars. Where Larson is listed as the 5-1 favorite to win at Dover, for Busch, it was his second career Dover pole. After the race, Busch emphasized how previous models at least allowed some room to maneuver for passes, a flexibility that seems absent in the next-gen cars.

Larson, expanding on this, pointed out that aero blocking is particularly significant at the front of the pack. He noted that drivers leading the race could easily use their in-car cameras to keep tabs on challengers behind them and block effectively. #5 suggested that removing these cameras could potentially alleviate the problem.

However, Denny Hamlin, the Dover winner, who once again “beat your favorite driver” doesn’t see eye to eye with this viewpoint. He actually downplayed the impact of in-car cameras, considering their removal a minor tweak rather than a significant solution to the overarching issues with next-generation cars.

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson are at loggerheads with each other
#5 Hendrick Motorsports driver recently floated the idea that NASCAR should ditch the rear-view cameras to make air-blocking tougher. He repeatedly described how “easy” it is to block using these cameras, explaining, “It’s really hard to pass the lead car. […] Honestly, if they took the cameras out of the car, that’s probably one of the little things that could fix it. It’s hard to see out of the rearview mirrors, but the cameras are so easy. I would be for it if they took the cameras out. I don’t know if he ;[Hamlin] runs the camera, he probably does and it’s really easy.”

However, Denny Hamlin doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Kyle Larson. In his post-race comments, the JGR driver mentioned he rarely used the camera at Dover, noting, “Yeah, I mean, I use it at times. I didn’t use it much today simply because Dover is just a track where things happen so fast. I feel like personally if I take my eyes off the road for a second, I take it to the camera, I’ll miss my line kind of rely more on the spotter to defend than I do the actual camera just simply because I don’t think I’m good enough to drive and look backwards.”

Denny Hamlin wasn’t buying the camera removal idea as a fix for aero blocking. He flat-out said it wouldn’t make a difference. “No, it wouldn’t change anything because the spotters would tell you where to drive,” he explained. He said that he would rather see changes to the car, tires, or something more substantial. According to him, the current cars just can’t stand being in traffic or trailing another car, which is why they perform best on wider tracks where the following driver has room to maneuver. It’s all a strategic game.

But besides these camera and aero-blocking discussions, there’s something else worth celebrating for Denny Hamlin. With his latest win at Dover, Denny Hamlin has now matched a legendary driver in the record books.

Denny Hamlin Brought Out The Beast In Him And Makes HMS Teammate Pay for Chase Elliott’s Painful Blow

Overturning his disappointments at Texas and Talladega this Sunday, Denny Hamlin returned to victory lane at The Monster Mile. With Kyle Larson battling on his bumper, extending Joe Gibbs Racing’s tally to four wins in an early season tug-of-war with Hendrick Motorsports, Denny’s final stage “mirror-driving” masterclass received plenty of attention. But critics, as usual, complain about Hamlin’s victories being aided by some “dirty air” tactics.

Regardless, Denny’s 54th win was barely a fluke. Moreover, this wasn’t the first NextGen race to go down to the wire because of some aero-blocking. And on a day when its master, Kyle Larson, fell victim to the grueling defensive strategy, he might have Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott to blame for his third unsatisfying podium finish in the 2024 season.

Denny Hamlin hammers back after back-to-back disappointment

Two weeks ago at Texas, Chase Elliott bested Hamlin with only two laps to go as the #11 spun out of podium contention from another ‘controversial’ final-stage restart. Ironically, a Kyle Larson-induced caution caused the caution flag to emerge before this incident. Regardless, Elliott broke a 32-race winless streak at the Texas race. Hence, it is unlikely that Kyle Larson would hold his disappointments too much to heart, considering his Hendrick teammates’ encouraging accomplishments on that day. However, in the post-Dover edition of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin reveals he had some plans after the #11 team’s fallout a few weeks ago.

The final stage at Dover saw two cautions. The major one took out team members from both JGR and HMS, with Christopher Bell and William Byron, respectively, ending their day alongside 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace. Kyle Larson, rolling off P1, had his best chance to put some positive distance between himself and Hamlin on this final unscheduled restart, But as fate would have it, Denny would hold on to retake the lead from Larson, starting from the inside line at Dover.

Denny explained his somewhat equal perspective, restarting from the front row with 63 laps to go, “So we didn’t have many laps on our tires, and at that point, I started on the inside, second. And second, typically has been a tough place to start at Dover. But the gearing is kind of wonky where first gear is way too much at that track. Second gear is not enough, and NASCAR does that to try to keep our gear selections the same at all tracks. So they they want to do, if they can a one-size-fits-all when it comes to gearing. “

Making it clear that both himself and Larson restarted on the ‘first gear,’ Hamlin then elaborates on his successful overtake on Larson and the underlying motivations, stating, “And I think he (Larson) says he gets a hit from the #19 that when he starts to go, he gets hit… Then his wheels start spinning. And then I took off and ’cause I didn’t get hit from behind and it allowed us to be even at the start-finish line. I drive into the corner… Hold it down low, and I clear him and I’m like yes. Now I’m in control of the race so trust me I felt the pain of the other side of that when Chase Elliott did it to us you know a few weeks ago at Texas.

“I mean that was the race. I was going to win that race for sure and then he did a great job on the restart the caution comes out and he’s six inches ahead of me. He controls the restart and that was game over after that,“ reminisced JGR’s latest race winner.

An overlooked Hendrick contender eyeing Kansas crown?

Before qualifying for the Wurth 400 at P2 behind Kyle Busch, Larson held back-to-back P2 finishes at Texas and Talladega, coming off consecutive podium finishes at Richmond and Martinsville. The #5’s last win came at Vegas where he swept both stages and kicked off his advance at the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship. In comparison, Denny Hamlin’s season’s second race win came at Richmond, where Larson would finish P3. The following week at Martinsville would mark an incredible 1-2-3 sweep for Hendrick Motorsports, as William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott would round off the podium, in that order.

As the season moved next to Texas, Chase Elliott would redeem himself with his debut victory of the 2024 season, thanks a little in part to William Byron’s unintentional nudge on podium contender Ross Chastain on the final lap. At Talladega, Toyota returned to victory lane with Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing. But the highest-finishing Hendrick Chevrolet last Sunday did not belong to either Byron, Larson, or Elliott.

t belonged to an often overlooked member of the Hendrick stable, who also fell victim to the aero-blocking and the inherent inability to pass a car without some much-needed clean air this past weekend – Alex Bowman. But this week, during his 300th Cup Series appearance, his battle was within the #48 team, as he finished stage 2 in the second position behind his colleague Kyle Larson. Larson effectively kept taking away Bowman’s air, resulting in the #48 eventually falling off the first 5 spots to end its race in P8. However, the highlight appeared at the onset of the Stage 2 break when defensive strategies on the part of the #5 would leave the #48 driver a little frustrated, causing him to vent to his team over the in-car radio.

“Smoking a Marlboro Lead to f**k to give.” –A Fan Goes Hard On Dale Earnhardt Jr Post About Zach Staley

The NASCAR of the past and the NASCAR of now has undergone many changes. Once upon a time, drivers were often seen sporting a more “rugged” look. They were often seen smoking or wearing open-face helmets as they went about the dangerous race. But now, the racer’s image and safety are paramount, and hence many changes have been made. But recently, at Bowman Gray Stadium, we got a flashback of the past that even left Dale Earnhardt Jr reminiscing about the old days!

Dale Earnhardt Jr nods to Zach Staley
Dale Earnhardt Jr was quick to give a shout-out to Zach Staley after the race in Bowman Gray Stadium. He posted on X a video of Staley stating, “This guy got out in victory lane looking like ZZTop and smoking a Marlboro. Open face helmet and all.”

Zach Staley truly radiates the looks and vibe of the racers of the past. He is even called a “throwback driver” by his fans! He must have stirred up the same emotions in Jr which made him reminisce about the good old days.

Under Junior’s Twitter post, fans are asking for an interview with Staley. This goes on to show the timeless appeal of nostalgia. One fan even said, “Get him a cup ride, NASCAR desperately needs some grizzled old skool types with no f**k to give.”

A never-before-seen spectacle at the Bowman Gray Stadium

In the Bowman Gray stadium, something happened that was never seen before for some. Staley was seen hyping up the crowd. He had his hand out the window, with his big old beard and open-faced helmet, chomping on a cigarette. While many racers do opt for nicotine for added focus, no one does it openly like him.

Staley’s rise to the racing scene goes beyond just the track. His aesthetics, the humble man he is behind the wheel, is winning over the people. The entire stadium had their phone flashlight lit up in support, showing his growing fanbase. This paints a picture of a driver destined for greatness.

He managed to clinch his second career victory at the stadium. We can only hope this win is just the beginning of something more remarkable for him.

What do you think? Will the “throwback driver” be able to excel like the top guns? Let us know in the comments.