Denny Hamlin crashed Kyle Larson for the win at Pocono Raceway; Larson retaliated under caution
On Sunday, NASCAR raced at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. The 2.5-mile track brought drama and three different driver confrontations.
First, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson raced side by side for the race win in the closing laps. Hamlin ran Larson wide, putting him in the fence.
During the caution that followed, Larson passed several cars under the yellow to catch race leader Denny Hamlin. Larson then turned right and took a swipe under the caution.
Then, Austin Dillon took out frustrations on former teammate Tyler Reddick. Dillon tossed his helmet at the No. 45 car while under the caution.
And finally, Ryan Preece was spun by Corey LaJoie with just two laps remaining in the event. After the race, Preece climbed from his car in a hurry, rushed over to LaJoie’s window and reached into the cockpit while screaming at LaJoie.
Today, NASCAR reacted to all of those incidents…
NASCAR comments on the incidents between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson for the win at Pocono Raceway
“Some controversy, some people a little bit mad but that’s our DNA,” Elton Sawyer stated via Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
“Absolutely now, we looked at that,” Sawyer said of any possible penalties.
“We have two of the greatest racecar drivers in the history of our sport behind the No. 11 and No. 5 steering wheel. They’re future Hall of Famers. We’re 7 laps to go and they’re both doing everything they can to win the race.”
“When they come up short on that, for whatever reason. If you feel like we’ve been done wrong, you’re going to be upset. You’re going to want to show your displeasure.”
“If the roles are reversed, Denny would have done the same thing. Those guys are professionals. I feel like they will handle that appropriately.”
“If we feel like we need to get more involved, we will. But, at this time, I don’t see anything we need to do on our side.”
Denny Hamlin crashes Kyle Larson to win Pocono (Video)
NASCAR comments on Austin Dillon throwing his helmet at Tyler Reddick
“Totally understand the emotion. We plan to have a conversation with both of those guys to make sure we’re in a good head space,” Sawyer added.
“We’ve said it before, our drivers in our sport, they get very emotional. It’s part of what is the draw for our fans.”
“If it didn’t mean anything to win a race, you wouldn’t see that emotion. I don’t see anything on our side, other than a conversation with both.”
Austin Dillon throws his NASCAR helmet at Tyler Reddick (Video)
NASCAR reacts to Ryan Preece confronting Corey LaJoie
“Again, Brad Moran, he’ll have conversations with those guys,” Sawyer stated.
“We had a similar situation, at Kansas with Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain, that one did escalate to a little higher level.”
NASCAR Fight: Ross Chastain vs Noah Gragson in Kansas (Video)
“Didn’t see anything with the incidents we had this past weekend as far as drivers being unhappy with each other that would have gotten us to a point of having to write any penalties.”
Ryan Preece attacks Corey LaJoie after Pocono Raceway (Video)
Links
Kyle Larson | Denny Hamlin | Tyler Reddick | Austin Dillon | Ryan Preece | Corey LaJoie | Pocono Raceway | NASCAR
