“What are you doing?” - When Danica Patrick grabbed Denny Hamlin’s collars after a frustrating race

Throwback to when Danica Patrick grabbed Denny Hamlin
Throwback to when Danica Patrick grabbed Denny Hamlin's collars while confronting him on the pit road (Source: Imagn, ihave40wins/X)

Throwback to the 2015 Budweiser Duel races at Daytona International Speedway; Denny Hamlin spun NASCAR trailblazer Danica Sue Patrick. After the 150-mile qualifying race was done and dusted, Patrick marched up to Hamlin and grabbed his collar, demanding answers.

Running 8th with just three laps to go, Patrick was well poised to record a top 15 finish. However, Hamlin's Toyota hit Patrick twice, pushing her into contact with fellow racers Brian Scott and Bobby Labonte, and ultimately, out of the track.

"What are you doing?" Patrick told Hamlin. "Seriously! You did the same f*****g thing in practice... the same thing! You get on my left rear and it spins me out."
"Listen to me. Nobody has your back like I had," replied the 3-time Daytona 500 winner.
"Denny, I would have thought so," Patrick said. "Dude, you gave me nothing, It spun my back and around."
"I understand... because you're loose. It's not my problem if you're loose," came the answer.
"Nobody else did it to me," Patrick stated.
"Nobody else was getting close to you, we have to get close to you," Denny Hamlin explained, concluding the confrontation.

Here is a video of the same:

According to Patrick, who used to drive the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, Hamlin had nudged her car's left rear side, which caused her to spin. Needless to say, Patrick wasn't happy. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was able to talk it over and pacify a fuming Danica Patrick.


Danica Patrick addresses her 2015 incident with Denny Hamlin

Danica Patrick invited Denny Hamlin to an episode of her podcast Pretty Intense in 2022. Among other things, including addressing the rumor about Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan's intention to purchase a minority stake in Richard Petty Motorsports, Patrick recalled her tangle with Hamlin at Daytona.

"Looking back at the scenario, I think you told me like, ‘You’re too loose I didn’t do anything wrong, you’re just too loose,'" Patrick said(via Yahoo News). "Let’s just be really honest... what really was going on in your head?"

Hamlin stood by the fact that he thought Patrick was loose. However, he explained that he had wanted to give a slight push to Patrick's machine, revealing an aggressive racing strategy.

"I’m like … the whole way I’m going to make you go faster is me pushing you, and if I can’t push you, then I’m not going to help you," Hamlin said. "I’m just going to try dump you every chance that I get. I always try to push people that I feel like are very stable, their cars are stable and I can hit them without them spinning out."

Danica Patrick doesn't race in NASCAR anymore. She looks after her own wine and designer candle brands.

On the other hand, Denny Hamlin is looking forward to winning his 60th Cup Series race this year, besides his first championship. Watch Hamlin in action on NBC Sports on August 11 as NASCAR prepares to hit Richmond Raceway for the 23rd race of the season.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande
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