Denny Hamlin has no apologies after contact with Bubba Wallace on the final lap for the win at Kansas Speedway
On Sunday, NASCAR raced at Kansas Speedway. The double-overtime finish brought chaos.
Heading to the white flag, Bubba Wallace ran Christopher Bell wide off turn four. They both lost momentum and Hamlin had momentum to join the battle for the win.
Heading into turn three, Hamlin looked inside of Wallace. He got aero tight, ran up the track and Wallace found the outside wall.
As they lost momentum, Chase Elliott snuck by the both of them and won the race off the final corner.
Hamlin and Wallace are both playoff drivers looking for a win to lock into the next round of the playoffs.
To add a layer, 23XI Racing, the team that Wallace drives for is co-owner by Hamlin, the driver of the No. 11 car. Hamlin is Wallace’s boss.
On the cool down lap after the finish, Wallace drove by with just a single finger hanging out of the window. Watch that video below.
Denny Hamlin crashes Bubba Wallace on final lap at Kansas (Video)
No Apologies from Denny Hamlin
However, Hamlin has no apologies to offer. As the driver of the No. 11 car, he was focused on trying to bring home the trophy for Joe Gibbs Racing not 23XI Racing.
“I definitely won’t apologize for racing for the win,” Denny Hamlin stated via Actions Detrimental.
“On Sunday, I am the driver. The person in the 11 car is the driver. That’s where the disconnect, I think, comes from, is that people expect me to be a different person, they expect me to be the guy with a 23XI shirt on when I’m in the 11 car, and that’s just not possible.”
“I have zero doubts in my mind. I was racing the No. 23 the same as I would race anybody in that moment. Truthfully, I would have raced my teammates, the same way.”
“Those are Open cars by the way. My responsibility as they team owner comes Monday-Saturday.”
“It is not up to me to get 23XI into the Round of 8, if that makes any sense,” Hamlin said. “That’s not my responsibility. My responsibility is to get the 11 into the Round of 8”
“Joe pays me a lot of money to make sure that car wins a championship or has a shot to. I mean, could you imagine the outrage if I just backed off and let him have it. Holy (expletive), people lose their minds.”
“I’m not going to apologize for trying to win that race. But, the No. 11 car was the most deserving to win that race.”
NASCAR points after Kansas Speedway
Denny Hamlin on getting flipped off by his driver
“If he were to flip me off in 23XI as the car owner, we’d have employer-employee problems,” Denny Hamlin added.
“But as a competitor, he’s flipping off the driver of the 11. I don’t have an issue with that. I think you can motherf*ck the driver of the 11 because you’re upset that the finish didn’t go as you hoped.”
“But anything directed to me as an owner, I would certainly, certainly have exception to that. As an owner, I know the tremendous resources that myself and Michael give Bubba every single week to go out and compete.”
“We have invested a ton to make sure our drivers have the best cars possible, we’re constantly looking to improve.”
“I don’t take that personal as the owner, I’m assuming we got someone that’s in the game, on the field in a heated moment, and I give him grace on that.”
Hamlin added, “On Sunday, we are competitors. We compete on Sunday.”
