The battle between Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin on the track is getting more intense with every race. In the penultimate race, Larson and his spotter had a heated conversation over the radio about what happened between them and Hamlin. In the final race, Larson ended up wrecking his car in an attempt to win the battle with Denny Hamlin. Many thought this was a bad idea, and even Kevin Harvick acknowledged this.
During an overtime restart, a collision occurred between Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, which resulted in him running up the track and accidentally side-grazing Ross Chastain, which caused Chastain to be eliminated from the race. After the race, Harvick voiced his disapproval of Larson’s aggressive actions, specifically questioning the timing and manner in which he tried to pass Hamlin.
Kevin Harvick’s two cents on Kyle Larson’s wrecking, find out who he blames
Kevin Harvick, Caitlin Vincey and Mamba Smith talk about racing in Nashville. After talking about Joey Logano’s win and a few other races, Harvick talked about Kyle Larson’s performance.
As the field lined up for the first overtime race at Nashville, Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was lined up in third place behind leader Denny Hamlin. The two had collided before, with Hamlin showing signs of discomfort after the end of Stage 2 and Larson trying to push Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE up the track going into Turn 1. To shed some light, the NASCAR legend explained on the 39th episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, “I don’t even think that was the right place to wreck it.
So I push him into the corner.” You’re not just going to push those tanks out of the way.” Harvick then said, “I had this conversation with some of our younger drivers a couple of weeks ago. I said, ‘Look, when you’re in a position to win the race, that’s not when you settle the score.”
But Kevin Harvick did not leave it there, as he gave an explanation stating, “You try to win the race first and settle the score later because I still believe that Kyle Larson could have won that race if he had raced like Kyle Larson.” According to Harvick, securing the win is more important than getting back at someone and that is a lesson Larson has to learn from this experience.
As a result, Larson was sent up the track, clipping Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Busch Beer Chevrolet, sending it spinning into the wall from second place. The resulting chaos took out 10 more cars, ending the day for Chastain, Austin Dillon, and John Hunter Nemechek. The ‘cautions breed cautions’ effect was in full swing as the second overtime led to another caution. On the third restart attempt, Larson’s car stumbled, setting off a chain reaction that sent Kyle Busch flying into the wall.
Despite the chaos, Larson kept his car clean and fought back to finish eighth. “Something really crazy happened at the end,” Larson said. “A lot of cars ran out of gas and we were one of them.” But Kyle Larson was recently asked about his “rivalry” with Denny Hamlin following an incident at the track.
Meanwhile, Larson has no beef with Denny Hamlin
Larson and Hamlin are both considered top drivers, and naturally, there is intense competition on the track. The rivalry between the two has been highlighted by incidents such as Larson overtaking Hamlin in the second stage at Nashville Superspeedway. When asked about his rivalry with Hamlin, Larson said: “It comes and goes. Sometimes I feel like we’re riding well, and sometimes I feel like he’s riding against me. It’s not fair at all.” I’m sure he feels the same way. Oh, yeah. It’s not an ongoing rivalry.”
Despite these heated moments, neither Larson nor Hamlin would describe their relationship as a true rivalry. Larson acknowledged that they have their moments of rivalry and that he sometimes feels unfairly treated by Hamlin, but he doesn’t consider it an ongoing rivalry. Do you think the two drivers will compete against each other again in future races? Let me know who you think will win in the comments below.
