“I f***ed up”: Denny Hamlin apologizes to JJ Yeley for the collision in Richmond

If there has been one driver who has been an advocate for clean, respectful racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, it has been Denny Hamlin.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has always been one of the most outspoken drivers on the field. Now, with his own podcast on Dirty Mo Media, Hamlin has been seen calling out everything as is in the sport.

After what many drivers and critics claimed to be a 'messy' end to an otherwise great race, Hamlin was also one to speak of the Cup Series' appearance at the Circuit of the Americas. The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix saw several caution flags as the result was decided in a chaotic triple overtime.

The sport's visit to Richmond Raceway for the following weekend last Sunday saw Denny Hamlin run into the back of JJ Yeley on the track. In an incident that looked blatant to the naked eye, Hamlin, who has advocated for more respect amongst drivers, was seen spinning the former out during the Toyota Owners 400.

However, the #11 Toyota Camry TRD driver took to his podcast, Actions Detrimental, to clear the air between him and Yeley, as well as the fans and said:

"I'm gonna shoot you straight. I'm going to be honest, this week's on DH (Denny Hamlin). I f***ed up. Wrecked JJ (Yeley) on accident. My fault JJ, you'll hear from me."

Hamlin ultimately managed to finish the 400-lap-long race in P20 after winning the second stage of the race at Richmond Raceway last weekend.

Fans react to Denny Hamlin's apology to JJ Yeley on his podcast

Twitter users, as we have come to know, obviously have an opinion on whether Denny Hamlin's admission of guilt was genuine or not. With some hilarious reactions and comments from the fans, here are some of the best ones:

“'Race respectfully!' * runs through a guy for 30th* Whoopsie Daises my bad!"

"Nobody would ever admit to wrecking someone on a podcast. Wait-"

"I see he has learned his lesson."

"Feels like this was pretty obvious to anyone who watched the race without blinders on, tbf."

“On accident.”

Watch Denny Hamlin try and tame a dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway next Sunday as NASCAR heads into the second event of its short track swing in 2023. The Food City Dirt Race will go live from the track on April 9 at 9:00 pm ET on FOX Sports.