Denny Hamlin said the incident between Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch could have been avoided.
One of the most dramatic moments at the Enjoy Illinois 600 at Gateway this Sunday was the collision between former Cup champion Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson.
During a fierce battle between the HMS and RCR drivers, the RCR driver made contact with the left rear of the No. 8 Chevrolet, sending both into the wall.
The collision marred the race for two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch, who was unable to finish due to damage to his car.
Kyle Larson slid into the No. 8 Chevrolet but recovered from the incident to finish the race in 10th place.
According to JGR veteran Denny Hamlin, Larson was responsible for the accident.
He pointed out that Larson slid into Busch and hit his left rear, upsetting him.
Busch retaliated by driving and opening his car door, but Larson, who ran into Busch again, caused the accident.
This is just my opinion, but I think Larson upset Busch by driving left rear while swerving sideways…I think that’s pretty accurate, he (Larson) drove on the straight to upset Kyle (Busch), then Kyle turned left when five were next to him, trying to show him, “Dude, this is bullshit.” And then the two collided at the next corner. That’s it. The day was over for Busch, with Larson eliminated in 10th place.
Denny Hamlin reckons the Kyle Larson move is an HMS strategy
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver further pointed out that Larson’s maneuver over Busch might be something HMS is teaching its drivers. He recalled seeing Alex Bowman doing the same thing at last week’s Coca-Cola 600.
And you see the crosswinds getting stronger and stronger — the crosswinds are getting closer and closer. Alex Bowman did the same thing at the Coke 600 last week.
It was like trying to wind sideways and meeting the wind from my left rear. So there’s obviously something going on where they’re being taught to drive closer and closer to the side of the car.
As Denny Hamlin pointed out, if this is a strategic move by HMS, then we will likely see another accident similar to the Busch-Larson collision in future races. It will depend on how well the drivers react to the move.
