Denny Hamlin Breaks Silence on Bubba Wallace Flipping Him off After Kansas Clash

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on Bubba Wallace giving him the bird after Kansas race.

Denny Hamlin Breaks Silence on Bubba Wallace Flipping Him off After Kansas Clash

Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace (Via IMAGO)

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23XI Racing Bubba Wallace was the driver with the most broken heart coming out of Kansas after. He was just half a lap away from scoring his second with at the venue when his boss Denny Hamlin made contact with his No:23 Camry from behind and send him to the wall. This gave Chevy’s Chase Elliott to steal the win, while Wallace was sulking about finding himself in a must-win spot at Roval.

Bubba Wallace didn’t hesitate to show his anger with Denny Hamlin, and he gave the No:11 TRD driver the bird in the cool down lap. In the recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, the veteran talked about getting flipped off and asserted that as long as it was thrown at him as a racer, not the team owner, he is okay with it.

If he were to flip me off in 23XI as the car owner, we’d have employer-employee problems. 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 (expletive) the driver of the 11 because you’re upset that the finish didn’t go as you hoped…

Denny Hamlin said on Actions Detrimental podcast.

The three times Daytona 500 pointed out that Bubba Wallace has the right to show his frustration, considering he missed out on a win. But he reminded the 23XI driver that, if the reaction was targeted at him as the team owner, he wouldn’t take exception to that as he and Michael Jordan have invested millions on him as a racer.

…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 [Jordan] give Bubba every single week to go out and compete.

Denny Hamlin added.

Denny Hamlin insists there shouldn’t be a backlash over the incident

When asked about the possibility of backlash within the TRD system over the incident, Hamlin pointed out that there shouldn’t be such a thing. He pointed out that Toyota should be upset about their four-drivers missing out on a win, despite coming this close and not about the two drivers racing each other hard for a win.

Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin (Via newsminimalist.com)

I mean, there shouldn’t be. Why should there be? Should Toyotas be upset that their drivers were going for the win, or should they be upset that the second-place guy didn’t let the first-place guy go and win the race?

Denny Hamlin said.

Furthermore, he asserted that he wants to see the 23XI Racing driver in the victory lane more than anyone on the grid. But the competitor with in him won’t let his driver win, if they are racing him for the trophy as he isn’t ready to compromise his chances for anyone else. This selfish character has been significant factor behind his success in his two decade long career in the sport.

Everyone has a right to think their own possible way, but there’s nobody on that racetrack that would like to see the 23XI cars win more than me, I can assure you of that. I am the most biased driver on that track that will do whatever I can for the 23XI cars. But if it comes at compromising my chance to win, that’s too much to ask.

Denny Hamlin added.

The Joe Gibbs Racingh did exactly what expected of him at the moment, fighting hard for, regardless of the driver’s relationship with him. But he should have been better with his decision making, as if he had made the right call, he had the opportunity to secure 60th career win instead of letting Chase Elliott take the trophy home.

Also Read: Bubba Wallace Is Hurt Over Kansas Drama Because He Thinks Denny Hamlin “Owes Him”