As NASCAR heads into the mid-season break, Denny Hamlin had a less-than-satisfying race at the Brickyard 400. With only three laps to go, Hamlin and Kyle Busch made contact, ruining both of their races. While Hamlin had a DNF, Busch managed to finish in 25th place. These results were not what the team expected, as the restarts stirred up some drama.
After taking each other out, Kyle Busch apologized to his former teammate. Both were fighting for a top 5 finish but were sabotaged due to their contact. Following the initial contact between the two cars into turn 3, Busch found himself moving from the bottom of the track to the outside wall. This result was something neither team wanted, and after such a taxing race, Hamlin’s crew chief had something to say.
Denny Hamlin was running ahead of most of the grid until the unfortunate incident forced him to retire. The whole team was left disappointed as Hamlin missed out on a chance to conquer the Brickyard 400 and complete the crown jewel on his racing resume. Having already won the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500, the Brickyard 400 remains a challenge for Hamlin to overcome.
Although he was close to winning the race, the incident with Busch pushed him to the back of the grid. While Hamlin has a spot in the playoffs, having such a DNF is disappointing for the team. His crew chief, Chris Gabehart, had something to say about this.
Taking to social media, Gabehart posted, “Had the winner today. I just couldn’t fight off the ‘guess the magic caution’ crowd to start stage 3. We just needed a bit of green flag racing, and we were home free.” Gabehart expressed his pride in his team, Joe Gibbs Racing, for their hard work this season.
Gabehart also celebrated Hamlin’s performance, noting that he followed the strategy until the unfortunate incident. Fans joined in, saying the team “didn’t deserve the finish” they got. Many wished JGR good luck for the rest of the season and suggested a much-needed break after a difficult race.
While Hamlin’s race was ended by Busch, the Richard Childress Racing driver made sure to apologize for sabotaging a potential top-five finish.
What Kyle Busch had to say about the incident with Denny Hamlin at Brickyard 400
With three laps remaining, Busch attempted a low move into turn 3 but collided with Hamlin’s car. This contact caused Busch’s car to spin out and crash into the outside wall, forcing the race into overtime. Hamlin had to retire from the race despite being close to finishing within the top 5, and Busch had something to say after the race.
“Got right where we wanted to be with a good car and some really good pit calls. I’m really sorry to all my guys and RCR for crashing while trying to be aggressive and get them a top-5 finish. Ready for this two-week break? I really need it,” he said. While Busch caused the crash, he let his team down by falling back to 25th place despite having a chance to finish in the top 5.
The incident nullified the team’s efforts as Busch missed out on another shot at making it into the playoffs. With only five races left and the midseason break underway, do you think Busch has a chance of making it to the playoffs this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
