“I doubt it was intentional”: Kyle Larson unsure of Denny Hamlin knowingly wrecking him at Iowa

Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin had a collision on lap 221 during the Iowa Corn 350 as the former's Chevrolet Camaro got spun around by the latter, relegating the former to a 34th-place finish. However, Larson gave the Joe Gibbs Racing driver the benefit of the doubt.

Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, and Daniel Suarez were running next to each other; three-wide around turn 4. Right then, Suarez's #99 nosed Larson's #5 and the latter spun out. Denny Hamlin was tailing them and therefore, had no time to avoid Larson or press the brakes.

Reflecting on the same, Larson told journalist Bob Pockrass:

"We lapped him (Denny Hamlin) and then, I don't know, he just slightly got in the back of me and got me out of the racetrack. I doubt it was intentional; I wouldn't see why it would be intentional."

Kyle Larson opined that taking the middle lane, especially when his car was the fastest in the qualifyings, might not have been the best decision. Larson, who was also the pole sitter for the race, knew he had room to pass Suarez and Keselowski without going three-wide and therefore concluded that he should have been a bit patient.

"I could have not gone to the middle and been more patient knowing how fast my car was and knowing who I was around, Larson told Pockrass. "I had room. I mean I made it to the exit of the corner and I'm not sure if Suarez got loose underneath me or what happened. But he got into my left-rear and got me out of control."

Unfortunately, the Chevy icon lost the points lead after the 16th race of the season. Currently, he sits second on the leaderboard and eighth points behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott.

Kyle Larson lets go of his initial frustration with Denny Hamlin

After the race was over, Kyle Larson didn't blame Hamlin for the contact after all. However, he was furious at Hamlin when the incident took place.

When the contact happened, Larson radioed, as reported by another renowned journalist, Jeff Gluck:

"What the f**k was that for?"

Larson later said that his words came out of frustration.

"I was just frustrated but moved on from that," the 31-year-old said.

As reported by Pockrass, Larson's crew chief Cliff Daniels had asked the driver to let it go as the latter had the fastest car on the field. Larson also had the opportunity to record back-to-back wins following his victory at Sonoma last week.

The HMS driver could also have become the first to amass four wins in this season's Cup Series. Nevertheless, he lost both chances and now looks forward to the USA TODAY 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 23.