During Stage 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, Denny Hamlin bizarrely got into the rear of Kyle Larson. It was even more strange since Hamlin was being lapped at the time by Larson.
While Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson have had their run-ins on the race track, they are mostly cordial and respectful. Off the track they are friends, they play golf together and hang out.
Given the circumstances, it was strange that Hamlin would make contact with Larson. At that time, in that position, at that point in the race – it didn’t make sense.
Turns out, it was Hamlin gassing up his car too soon. Larson was trying to pit at that time, or at least set himself in a position to get to pit road. Hamlin lifted to let Larson lap him, he didn’t fight him much on it.
Then he got into the pedal too hard.
“Was my mistake, I gassed up too soon and ran into the back of him,” Hamlin told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports after the race. “Luckily, everybody held onto it.”
Kyle Larson believed it was a mistake as well. Pockrass spoke to the Hendrick Motorsports driver as well after the race.
“Yeah we lapped him and then, I don’t know, he just lightly got in the back of me and got me up the race track,” Larson said. “I doubt it was intentional, I wouldn’t see why it would be intentional, but yeah I was just frustrated then but moved on.”
At the time, Larson was upset. He was heard on the radio complaining about it.
“What the f*** was that for?” Larson asked Cliff Daniels, his crew chief. The driver then asked his spotter to talk to Hamlin’s spotter. Daniels calmed the whole situation down, though.
Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin collide once more
Unfortunately for both Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, this was not the last time they would make contact. Hamlin and Larson got on the good end of the end of Stage 2 and the pit cycle that ensued.
Heading into the final stage, the two drivers were racing in the top-10. That was until Daniel Suárez was cleared by Larson. Except there was a little contact as Suárez and Larson both got loose. With the helpful contact from the 99, the 5 car went toward the wall.
Right on the frontstretch as they came across the start/finish line. Larson took contact from the cars going by. Then he got right into Denny Hamlin, pinching the 11 into the wall.
Kyle Larson ended up many laps down and Hamlin more or less was fine. He had a struggle of a day overall before that. So, his day didn’t change much overall. P24 for Hamlin on the day and P34 for Larson more than 30 laps down.
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