WATCH: “No talent a** Toyota driver”- Denny Hamlin wins Kansas Cup race after turning Kyle Larson to the wall on the final lap
Denny Hamlin scored the 400th NASCAR win of Joe Gibbs Racing.
Follow Us
Denny Hamlin wins at kansas (Credits: @dennyhamlin)
Kansas Speedway hosted one of the closest and most entertaining races in the 2023 Cup season so far and probably the best race in the next-Gen car era. Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin scored his first win of 2023, outracing Hendrick Motorsports Kyle Larson in a last-lap dramatic finish. Larson has already won two races this season.
The 23XI Racing co-owner’s win was controversial as he bumped Larson and sent him to the outside wall to secure the finish. Denny Hamlin is not entirely to blame for the incident, as amidst the heated defense, the No:5 Chevy hit the wall before being bumped by the No:11 Camry. It was Hamlin’s 49th Cup race win and the fourth victory at Kansas.
The last 14-lap battle between Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin was pretty impressive. The HMS driver, who led a race-record 85 laps, was defending with all his might work against an aggressive Toyota driver. Larson’s day was more impressive, considering he took back the lead in the final stage after being spun by Tyler Reddick on lap 5.
“I was really loose; I was trying to do what I could to manage it but was really loose at that end (Turn 2). He was a little bit better than me at the end. I haven’t seen a replay either, but obviously, he was side drafting really aggressively like you would, but he was like touching me, it felt like, and it had me out of control,” Kyle Larson said about the incident.
“So proud of this whole FedEx team. I got position on him there, and I was trying to side draft him but clipped his left rear. But glad he was able to at least finish. Proud of my FedEx team, though. Four hundred wins now for Joe Gibbs Racing — just such a great accomplishment for them,” Denny Hamlin said about his first victory lane visit of 2023.
Discover: Denny Hamlin wants NASCAR drivers to take instant revenge on Ross Chastain for hyper aggression
Here is how fans reacted to the last-lap incident between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson
Fans were impressed by the whole race product from Kansas Speedway alongside the Larson-Hamlin battle. Few fans were quick to side with their favorite driver while criticizing others for the incident. Some fans also used the opportunity to troll both drivers. Most are in agreement that it was a racing incident.
In case you missed it:
Stay Updated!
Justin P Joy
(4872 Articles Published)