Kyle Larson telling his spotter to 'shut the f**k up' was not a “playful response,” according to Bubba Wallace's insider

Bubba Wallace's spotter has claimed that Kyle Larson's expletive-filled response to his spotter Tyler Monn didn't have a "buddies" aspect. Freddie Kraft outlined the normalcy of such radio exchanges but had a different take on the Hendrick Motorsports driver's reply.

During the final stage of the 18th Cup Series race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin used up extra room in the middle lane, pushed Kyle Larson wide, and snatched the second place. The #5 Chevy driver didn't retaliate to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's move, which didn't sit well with Tyler Monn.

During the yellow flag run on Lap 214, the spotter gave a brutal reply to his driver:

"He [Denny] runs you like that every time, you know why, because you let it happen."

Kyle Larson wasn't pleased with Monn's take and agitatedly replied with his expletive-filled remark.

"Shut the f*** up," the HMS driver said.

According to NASCAR insiders Brett Griffin and Freddie Kraft, using the F-word in radio exchanges is quite common among drivers and their "budd[y]" spotter, especially when the racer is tangled in an unfavorable situation.

"Me and Bubba had it out had Bristol or something. We were trying to roll around with a flat tire and I was just feeding him information about just get to the end and he's like, 'Will you just shut the f*ck up?' and I said, '10-4 shutting the f*ck up.' He [Bubba] said, 'I just laughed for two laps after you said that.' You can't take it to heart," Kraft said via Dirty Mo Media on X (0.28).

However, Kraft opined that the 2021 Cup Series champion's reply wasn't a "playful response."

"This [Larson's situation] did not have the playful shut the f*ck up response. This sounded like it touched a nerve somewhere and maybe it touched a nerve because Kyle knows Tyler might be a little right," Wallace's spotter added.

"I agree with Kyle Larson" - Denny Hamlin sides with the HMS driver over his F-bomb at Tyler Monn

In the wake of Kyle Larson's expletive exchange with Monn, Hamlin gave his take on the "biased" approach the spotters take for their drivers. The JGR driver sided with the HMS driver in this case.

Denny Hamlin said he gave sufficient room to Larson at Turn 4 but the #5 Chevy didn't make a move at that time. When the #11 Toyota tried to steer clear of the turn, Larson hung to the outside line and didn't leave much room for Hamlin to exit. As a result, the duo exchanged some door paint and the HMS driver was sent wide.

While the fans sided with Kyle Larson's spotter, the JGR driver said he "agree[d]" with the Californian's f-bomb.

"I agree with Kyle Larson. Tyler should shut the f*** up. Does he say that when Kyle squeezes guys up high? Probably not. You know, that’s the thing about spotters is that they are so biased to their guy, and that’s what they need to be at times. We’re racing for a win, there’s drops on our windshield," Hamlin said via Dirty Mo Media on YouTube (37.20).

After the Loudon run, Kyle Larson has reclaimed the pinnacle spot in the Cup Series standings while Denny Hamlin has retained his third place.