Denny Hamlin Holds No Grudges Against Kyle Larson After Bubba Wallace Retaliation

After starting off his 2024 season on the right foot in Los Angeles, Denny Hamlin has got back to his routine behind the mic for Actions Detrimental. The Joe Gibbs Racing star talked about Saturday’s Clash in the podcast’s latest episode and covered one of its key storylines: Kyle Larson spinning out Bubba Wallace in the final lap.

Larson had admitted in his post-race interview with SiriusXM that hitting Wallace was a deliberate move that came in the aftermath of being on the receiving end of three hits from Wallace. In the eyes of Denny Hamlin, this doesn’t appear to be anything to bring the roof down about. Having watched the interview, he noted the balance between the actions of the drivers.

He said of Larson’s thoughts, “I don’t wanna go home mad. So I am gonna make sure I take care of this in this white flag lap.’ So he spun out Bubba, right? And I didn’t see Bubba comment on it, but it seems like he wasn’t resigned to the fact that ‘Alright, I got into the #5. He had enough, and he took care of me.’ Larson got what he needed out of it, and Bubba probably understood why.”

Kyle Larson’s admission to intentional contact with Bubba Wallace’s #23 car

In the interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver said, “Listen, I got hit three different times by him and it was the last lap and I was going to get my hit in finally. I wasn’t trying to spin him or anything, but just shove him through the corner like he was shoving me through the corner.”

Adding that Wallace would have done the same if the roles were reversed, he continued, “I hope he understands that. Yeah, we’ve had our run-ins before and I haven’t talked to him and who knows if there’s even anything to talk about.” Larson’s 2022 fight with Wallace in Las Vegas is still fresh in memories, it appears that the drivers can’t help but run into each other.

@KyleLarsonRacin doesn’t hesitate in admitting he retaliated against @BubbaWallace on the final lap of the season-opening exhibition Clash at the Coliseum. pic.twitter.com/u2bMqZkSFJ

— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) February 4, 2024

Despite being spun out and not finishing the race, Wallace was awarded a 12th-place finish, which he was only too glad to receive. He wrote of the decision by NASCAR, on social media, “But how I finish 12th and I ain’t even finish the race. got spun and just went up the tunnel.” 

The position does not hold a lot of weight considering the Clash is a non-points race, a surprising end nonetheless.