Last season’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was marked by controversy as the sport’s decision-making inconsistency drew attention. Fans and drivers called for consistency in the sport when it came to cautions and red flags. Now, Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin has made an argument that casts doubt on NASCAR.
When discussing the late red flag at Indy, Denny Hamlin noted that NASCAR made the decision because most of the cars were close to running out of gas at the time. He speculates that under normal circumstances, it would have been just a regular caution and the race would have continued as normal. Do you think they made a different decision at the end of this race than the normal precautions? … I mean, they brought out the red flag so people wouldn’t run out of gas. Normally they would have run caution at the end of this race. But they knew people were strapped for cash so they canceled the race,” Denny Hamlin said on the podcast, “Actions Detrimental.” Brad Keselowski had to pit a few laps earlier because he ran out of gas, so it looks like Denny Hamlin’s point is valid. He believes that even if a top driver runs out of gas, it no longer has any impact, as it will simply result in an accident.
Denny Hamlin insists he was innocent in Kyle Busch’s Brickyard 400 wreck
One of the most serious incidents at the end of the Indy race was Kyle Busch’s crash after colliding with Denny Hamlin. He asserted in the same podcast that he had nothing to do with the incident and that he gave the RCR driver enough space to avoid the accident. Believe me, I didn’t want to get flagged, so I tried to give him enough space in the corner, but I think he had a little too much speed, went on the track, ran into us from the side, and spun out. Denny Hamlin said. This incident ruined Kyle Busch’s position in the top five and cost Denny Hamlin the win. Had their former teammates been a little more patient, both drivers might have returned home with solid results.
