Denny Hamlin’s shenanigans with Bubba Wallace within the closing levels of the Hollywood On line casino 400 have divided the NASCAR neighborhood. Some have known as him out for displaying aggression towards a driver who races for a group he owns, whereas others have rallied behind him, calling the battle entertaining and praising Hamlin for standing his floor.
Like Steve Letarte and Kyle Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the end sided with Hamlin. That mentioned, he drew a line concerning how the Joe Gibbs Racing driver selected to race. In Junior’s eyes, the aggression was honest sport, however Hamlin may have performed it smarter by defending the underside late fairly than jeopardizing his personal driver.
Hamlin stormed off the entrance row, swept each opening levels, and led 159 of 273 laps earlier than tangling with Wallace within the closing laps. His bid for win No. 60 went begging. Whereas Letarte lauded the depth that stored followers glued to the end, Junior took a extra measured stance.
“I like Denny going for it. I feel he’s I feel he may have completed it otherwise to not let another person win. I like Denny going for it, however I feel he took he simply despatched it a bit of bit too exhausting. You’ll be able to’t put 23 within the wall, though Denny giving him a automobile size and a half, that Denny is aware of how the aero works… I don’t know really if the 23 entering into the wall is all Denny or a bit of little bit of each of them.”
Junior questioned Hamlin’s decision-making. “Why didn’t he go to the underside, proper? Why did he drive into the nook and up the monitor and simply completely taking away the 23’s line, proper? He had different issues, different methods to strategy the nook. Not that they’d have labored. I imply, the chance of him finishing the go isn’t that prime.”
Nonetheless, Earnhardt Jr. wished Hamlin had taken one other strategy, one the place he may step out of the automobile, face his crew, and say that he went for it with out wrecking each of them. He went for the win with out placing the 23 within the wall. He went for it and nonetheless gave each a shot, with out letting a Chevrolet slip by for the win.
In the meantime, Letarte admired Hamlin’s willingness to chase the sixtieth win of his profession no matter whose bumper he wrecked to get it, and Petty echoed that view. For each, in contrast to Junior, that type of elbows-out racing is what defines NASCAR. Drivers can’t be anticipated to play follow-the-leader; ultimately, every one is out to win for himself.
