After a final round of pit stops late in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race, Larson, Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. found themselves battling for the lead on a restart with seven of 160 laps remaining.
Hamlin positioned himself behind Larson in the outer lane, but when they approached Turn 1, Hamlin swiftly moved to the inner side of Larson. Subsequently, Hamlin veered slightly towards Larson, causing him to collide with the wall and lose speed.
Using the advantage he had gained, Hamlin successfully fended off Tyler Reddick, who was rapidly closing in, until a caution on the final lap ensured Hamlin’s win.
Larson expressed his frustration with Hamlin’s actions during the restart after finishing in 20th place in the race.
“I have been greatly hindered by him in achieving many successful outcomes over the course of my career, which is regrettable. While he claims that I have a specific racing style, I have never found a reason to apologize to him for anything. Although I highly doubt he will offer an apology either,” expressed Larson.
“I cannot reword”
Larson was questioned about the challenge of handling the situation given their close friendship outside of the track. He responded by acknowledging their friendship and admitting that it does create an uncomfortable and awkward dynamic.
“He consistently makes correct judgments. All of our friends are aware that Denny always makes accurate decisions. Therefore, I am confident that he was correct in that situation as well. Although I won’t allow it to negatively impact our friendship, I am extremely frustrated. And I believe my frustration is justified. I’m certain that ‘Actions Detrimental’ (Hamlin’s podcast) will extensively discuss this incident.”
Will race Hamlin differently now
When it comes to how Larson races Hamlin on the track in the future, he said he plans to take a lesson from Hamlin himself.
“I believe now I must approach this situation with a different strategy, correct? As mentioned before, I have never had to express regret to him for any of my actions on the race track. I can recall four or five instances where he contacted me and admitted, ‘Oh, I apologize for putting you in a difficult position’ or something similar,” stated Larson.
“At some point, as he mentioned, you need to change your approach when competing against others in order to regain respect. He did something similar to Ross (Chastain) last year, and it’s possible that Ross deserved it considering his actions towards Denny throughout their careers.”
“I have not done that to Denny once more. I believe I should not have been collided with before reaching the wall. On Tuesday night, I will be participating in a sprint car race. I will let go of this incident within a few hours, as that is the most effective remedy for a challenging outcome.”
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