Hamlin remains unapologetic over Kansas finish

Denny Hamlin knows what some want to hear from him this week and they aren’t going to get it.

“If they’re wanting an apology, they can turn (this) off now,” Hamlin said on the newest episode of his podcast, Actions Detrimental.

And why aren’t they getting an apology? 

“Because I’m racing for the win,” Hamlin said, “and I definitely won’t apologize for racing for the win.” 

The topic of Hamlin racing Bubba Wallace, whose car he co-owns from 23XI Racing, begins 22 minutes into the episode. Hamlin and his co-hosts started by discussing other topics from the weekend and around the sport before getting to what they knew listeners wanted to hear. 

“On Sunday, I am the driver,” Hamlin said. “The person in the [No.] 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 [No.] 11 car, and that’s just not possible. It’s not possible.”

Wallace led the race at the white flag lap with Hamlin running in second position. The run developed down the backstretch with Hamlin carrying it into Turns 3 and 4, going underneath Wallace. But the move didn’t work as Hamlin admitted he got tight, which is why he ran up the track, putting Wallace into the wall and allowing Chase Elliott to charge by on the bottom.

Hamlin is the driver of the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Wallace drives the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, of which Hamlin is the co-owner. A win for Hamlin would have been the 60th of his career. A win for Wallace would have locked him into the Round of 8, instead of being in near must-win territory going into the elimination race at the Charlotte Roval.

“I have zero doubts in my mind, I know because I know where my mind was in that moment, is that I was racing the [No.] 23 the same as I would race anybody in that moment,” Hamlin said. “Truthfully, I would have raced my teammates the same way.”

Hamlin said his responsibilities to 23XI Racing as the owner are in place Monday through Saturday. The Cup Series race weekend begins Saturday with practice and qualifying.

“It is not up to me to get 23XI into the Round of 8,” Hamlin said. “That’s not my responsibility. My responsibility is to get the [No.] 11 into the Round of 8. I’m the driver on Sunday of that [No.] 11. Joe pays me a lot of money to make sure that car wins the championship, or has a shot to. 

“Could you imagine the outrage if I just backed off and let him have it? Holy (expletive). People would lose their minds. But instead, I think Bubba said it very accurately, we were going for the win. Both guys were going for the win. Did you see those last few restarts? Everybody was side drafting each other so hard, everyone was bouncing off of everything. It’s the only reason that I got back into the race is because the [No.] 20 and the [No.] 23 had an episode off of Turn 4. That was my, ‘Oh, man, we’re back. We got a shot.’”

Hamlin dominated Sunday’s race with a sweep of both stages, the fastest lap bonus, and leading a race-high 159 laps. A power steering issue plagued him in the final stage, which he was fighting to overcome before a caution came out with 15 laps to go. He lost the lead on pit road, and was lined up sixth for the second overtime attempt that led to the frantic finish.

Wallace led the race at the white flag with Hamlin second. Because of Wallace and Bell running high off Turn 4 coming to the white flag, it halted their momentum, as well as Chase Briscoe, who was closely trailing Bell, and allowed Hamlin to make it three-wide in the tri-oval for second position.

The only thing Hamlin would have done differently is back off earlier going into the corner. But that analysis comes from having time to look back on the race instead of the seconds it unfolded behind the wheel. Hamlin entered Turns 3 and 4 “the same amount, to the same point” he always lets off and it didn’t turn and is why both he and Wallace went to the wall.

“But that is racing,” Hamlin said. “I’m not going to apologize for trying to win the race that the [No.] 11 car was the most deserving car to win that race. Without a doubt… I hated it for my team, and I also hate it for the [No.] 23 team.”

The two were cordial in their comments after the race while handling the disappointment of how things played out. But it came after the cool-down lap when Wallace flipped off Hamlin - a move that Hamlin had no problem seeing.

“If he were to flip me off in 23XI as the car owner, we’d have employer/employee problems,” Hamlin said. “But as a competitor, he’s flipping off the driver of the [No.] 11. I don’t have an issue with that.”