“Puts you in a spot where…”: Denny Hamlin gives his verdict on ‘best friend’ Kyle Larson’s contact with Ryan Preece

A lot has been said about Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece coming together at Bristol Motor Speedway last Sunday, with Denny Hamlin joining the discussion this week. The Food City Dirt Race saw the two NASCAR Cup Series drivers disagree with each other on the track, which ultimately cost them both in their final finishing positions at the end of the 250-lap-long event.

The drama on the track was seemingly instigated by the Hendrick Motorsports driver when he pinched Stewart-Haas Racing's Preece into the outside wall. What Larson thought was aggressive on-track racing ended up costing Preece a bent toe-link. The #41 Ford Mustang driver was also seen spinning later in the race due to further issues with the rear suspension.

Things took a turn in Preece's favor when he managed to crowd Larson up the racetrack in a similar manner. In the incident, which happened later in the race, the resulting contact saw the #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver retire due to significant damage. After having looked at the replays, Denny Hamlin, one of Larson's accomplices in the sport, spoke on who he thought was in the wrong. He said:

"It looks like Kyle Larson. This is what he does. Kyle's one of my best friends but at this point I have to call Kyle out a little bit. He is one of those drivers who puts you in a spot where you have to lift. Raise your hand if this sounds familiar."

Further elaborating on the Preece-Larson situation last Sunday, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver added:

"He wanted to get clear of (Ryan) Preece, so he just gassed it up and said, 'Alright, well I'm coming up and you can lift or go into the fence.' Preece didn't lift and got drove into the fence."

Denny Hamlin called the incident familiar because one of his drivers at 23XI Racing, Bubba Wallace Jr., was also involved in a similar situation with the Hendrick Motorsports driver last season. Larson was seen driving Wallace Jr. up the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and we all know what happened after that.

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Denny Hamlin's teammate Christopher Bell visits Victory Lane in Bristol Dirt Race

While Denny Hamlin did not have the best races of his 2023 Cup Series campaign during last Sunday's Food City Dirt Race, Christopher Bell sure did shine from the Joe Gibbs Racing camp.

The former dirt-track race and river of the #20 Toyota Camry TRD saw the checkered flag in P1 after Kyle Larson's eventful race saw him retire early from the event.

All three JGR cars were seen in the top-10 at Bristol, with Denny Hamlin being the exception, finishing in P22. Watch him try and have a good outing at Martinsville Speedway next weekend.