“He made the right move” - Denny Hamlin absolves Kyle Larson of any wrongdoing at Kansas

NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 - Qualifying
NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 - Qualifying

Denny Hamlin didn't have any complaints against Kyle Larson after the Hendrick driver passed him in overtime and eventually won the Kansas race. After the final restart, Larson passed Hamlin and challenged Buescher for the win.

Hamlin, who had led the most laps in the race with 71, was asked in his post-race interview whether Larson made any contact with him as he passed his #11 Camry.

"No, he just made the right move to split me there. It's such a tough spot, I definitely should've stayed on the outside. I thought he was going to choose the outside, but he made the right call for sure," Hamlin told Frontstretch. [1:05]

The #11 driver claimed that he was simply in a spot where he once got struck three wide, lost all momentum, and ended up being freight-trained by everyone else.


Denny Hamlin reflects on where things went wrong for him at Kansas

In an interview after the race, Denny Hamlin remarked how things weren't looking right for him in the final third of the race. Hamlin also praised his crew chief and team for putting him in a situation where he found himself right before that final restart.

“I’ll tell you, with 70 (laps) to go, it wasn’t looking really good. We had some pit road miscues that set us back, but Chris (Gabehart) and the guys did a great job coming up with a strategy there to pit and then jump the field back. We were right on task there with about (seven) to go; felt good about getting another one. It’s just one of those things,” Hamlin said as per Racer.

But unfortunately for Hamlin, then came the "difficult spot" that Larson put him in. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver claimed that he needed the push from Larson but he soon realized that the #5 wasn't going to stay in line and instead, was "going for the win."

In the end, Denny Hamlin finished in fifth place, which was pretty far from what could've been his fourth win of the season. Having said that, Hamlin is still sitting comfortably on the standings table.

He has three wins, 411 points, and momentum that suggests that more trips to the victory lane could very well be on the cards for the veteran driver who is still searching for his first Cup title.

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Edited by Ankush Das
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