"He didn’t want to race us there": When Denny Hamlin took issue with Alex Bowman over a late-race spin

Denny Hamlin's championship hopes took a blow when Alex Bowman turned into him in the final stretch of the race at the 2021 Xfinity 500 in Martinsville. This left the veteran racer fuming after the race as he called out Bowman for deliberately wrecking him.

Hamlin who rode the #11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing had a consistent 2021 NASCAR Cup Series. Though he did not win until he reached the playoffs, he finished 13 times in the top 5 before his wins in Darlington and Las Vegas. With a Championship 4 spot already secured, victory in the season's penultimate race at Martinsville would have been a powerful statement before the finals.

Hamlin fought through adversity in the race after his #11 Toyota failed in the pre-race inspection twice and had to start at the back of the field. He also received a penalty for speeding on the pit road further hampering his progress. But he came back to lead both times from the rear and led with seven laps to go when Bowman dashed into Hamlin's rear at turn 3. After the race, a frustrated Hamlin said to NASCAR:

"He’s just a hack. Just an absolute hack. He gets his as* kicked by his teammates every week. He’s (expletive) terrible. He’s just terrible. He sees one opportunity, he takes it. Obviously, he’s got the fast car of the week and he runs 10th. He didn’t want to race us there."

Hamlin looked primed for victory but the late-race incident forced him to finish in the 24th position as Bowman took the victory.

Meanwhile, the Hendrick Motorsports ace denied the crash being intentional as he believed his car got 'loose' and resulted in the spin. Hamlin, however, was not convinced as he said:

"We had a good, clean race. I moved up as high as I could on the race track to give him all the room I could, and he still can’t drive."

The No. 11 crew chief, Chris Gabehart also echoed similar sentiments as the driver and wanted to use the incident as a motivation for the finals.

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Denny Hamlin's quest for his first championship continues

Despite a disappointing playoff race at Martinsville, Denny Hamlin joined Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott in the Championship 4. Held in Phoenix for the second year running, Larson took pole position in the race, and the four drivers dominated most of the race.

Kyle Larson held off Truex Jr. in the final laps as he won his 10th race of the season rounding off his dominating season with his maiden championship win. Hamlin finished third behind Truex Jr. as Elliott finished fourth, adding another chapter to his career of near misses.