Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson engage in war of words after contact at Pocono: 'Denny's always right'

David Suggs

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Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson engage in war of words after contact at Pocono: 'Denny's always right' image

Friends turned foes on Sunday as NASCAR Cup Series stalwarts Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson fired barbs at one another at the conclusion of the HighPoint.com 400.

Hamlin claimed a controversial seventh career victory at Pocono Raceway, outlasting Tyler Reddick and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. to capture the checkered flag. His on-track exchange with Larson, who finished 21st, got tempers boiling.

Hamlin and Larson made contact with one another while racing for the lead in the final stage, with the No. 11 car pushing the No. 5 into the wall as they ran side-by-side.

It appeared at first glance that Larson's car had avoided serious damage, but the Hendrick Motorsports star struggled to maintain pace in the closing laps. He fell like a stone down the leaderboard. Hamlin, meanwhile, cruised to his second win of the season.

MORE: Austin Dillon throws helmet at ex-teammate Tyler Reddick after wreck in Pocono race

When he crossed the finish line, Hamlin was greeted with a torrent of boos from the spectators in the grandstand. He embraced the funk, raising up seven fingers — one for each race he has captured at the Tricky Triangle.

It wasn't Hamlin's only confrontation with a Hendrick Motorsports driver Sunday. Alex Bowman believed that Hamlin intentionally wrecked him as well, although replay seemed to show that the No. 11 avoided making contact with the No. 48 before Bowman's car got loose.

MORE: Denny Hamlin picks up 'lucky' win No. 7 at the Tricky Triangle

Hamlin did little to calm things after the race, instead arguing that Larson and Bowman were the makers of their own destruction.

"Both guys wrecked themselves," Hamlin said. "There was a lane. [Larson] missed a corner first and, evidently, he didn't have his right-side tires clean. When he gassed up, he just kept going again."

Hamlin went as far as to claim that he didn't touch Larson, something that seemingly was disproved via replay.

The move was eerily similar to one Hamlin made on Ross Chastain at the same track last year. Hamlin veered into the No. 1 car, sending it into the inside wall. Hamlin took credit for the vindictive move post-race, implying that it was a response to Chastain's previous aggressive racing against him.

The parallels were clear to Larson, who voiced his displeasure with the No. 11 driver. Larson and Hamlin are friends, so verbal sparring is uncommon between them. But Larson viewed this incident as one of many in which Hamlin has gone after him. Suffice to say, Larson was less than pleased.

"He's always right," Larson said sardonically. "All the buddies know, Denny's always right, so I'm sure he was in the right there as well. It is what it is."

"I'm not going to let it tarnish our friendship on track, but I am pissed. And I feel like I should be pissed," Larson added.

Hamlin's duel with Chastain was widely approved in NASCAR circles, with many viewing it as just the sort of comeuppance the Trackhouse Racing driver needed to rein him in. There was also a general feeling that Chastain had brought the wreck upon himself with his racing conduct, something Larson alluded to in his post-race interview.

"He pulled the same move on Ross last year, which Ross probably deserved it with all the stuff that he's done to Denny in his career," Larson said. "Again, I haven't done that to Denny, so I don't think I deserve to be run into before I ever got into the wall."

Larson expressed that to Hamlin on the track with his car, delivering a bump in anger as the two approached the start-finish line during a caution.

Hamlin fired back at the 2020 Cup Series champion, both in the car and in his post-race presser. Hamlin told reporters that he didn't understand Larson's frustration. After all, the duo were racing for the lead.

Besides, as Hamlin noted, Larson can be pretty rough himself on the track.

The boo birds didn't seem to affect Hamlin too much. He celebrated his 50th victory, chugging Coca-Cola and dancing the night away under the Pocono sky.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.