Denny Hamlin After Controversial Win: ‘They Can Boo My Rock Out Here’
Hamlin won his third race of the season, seventh at Pocono
Denny Hamlin took victory lane at Pocono Raceway for his 50th NASCAR Cup Series career win on Sunday, but it wasn’t without controversy.
The No. 11 car driver for Joe Gibbs Racing made an aggressive move on lap 154 of the HighPoint.com 400, passing Kyle Larson who traveled up the track into the wall.
“There was a lane,” Hamlin said. “(Kyle Larson) missed the corner first and evidently he didn’t have his right side tires clean and when he gassed up, he just kept going. … I didn’t touch him.”
After 11 cautions and restarts, Hamlin held on for his third Cup Series win of the season and the fans showed their displeasure by booing as he made his way to the winner’s podium. The reaction from the crowd didn’t seem to phase Hamlin.
“I love it,” he said. “I love it. They can boo my rock here in a few years.”
Hamlin told reports after the race that he believes he did not make contact with Larson’s No. 5 car and defended the win.
“How can you wreck someone you don’t touch?”
NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin
“How can you wreck someone you don’t touch?” Hamlin asked. “(Larson) makes the decision to either let off the gas and step aside or hit the gas and hit the wall. I mean, I put him in those decisions, but I didn’t overshoot the corner.
“I was behind him. I tried to get position on him,” Hamlin continued. “I knew it was going to be tight off (turn two) but always made sure I left a lane or more than a lane.”
Hamlin was taken aback when asked if he races Larson with respect on the track.
“We’re racing for a win, are you (expletive) me?” Hamlin asked. “I mean, if I’m gonna give anyone in the field respect it’s Kyle Larson because I respect him as a racecar driver and I think he’s probably the best. But damn, I mean we’re all racing for a win, and I guarantee you if the role’s reversed it goes the same way.”
With his seventh win at Pocono, Hamlin surpassed retired NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon for the most wins on the tri-oval track. He currently sits 55 points behind Martin Truex Jr. in the playoff race with nine Top 10 finishes and six Top 5s to go with the wins.
