Kyle Petty Staunchly Defends Denny Hamlin’s Mindset: “That’s What I Like”

Denny Hamlin’s chase for win No. 60 has him leaving no stone unturned. At Kansas last weekend, he muscled his way from the front row to sweep the opening two stages, leading 159 of 273 laps, and even tangled with his own driver, Bubba Wallace, in the heat of battle.

Wallace, racing for 23XI, bristled at the move but defended Hamlin’s stance, saying, “On Sunday, I am the driver. The person in the #11 car is the driver.” And in the court of opinion, NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty threw his weight behind Hamlin.

Breaking down the incident on Kansas soil, Petty explained what draws him to Hamlin’s approach. “Denny comes down last week. He’s racing his teammate. And he’s on the radio. Get tired all the way, cut and time know what I’m racing for, doesn’t time know I need to get into championship, I need to do this. I I I: that’s what I like about Denny. It’s I.”

“This week, we see Denny put himself in a position to either he wins the race and it’s number 60, that magical number 60, or his driver, Bubba Wallace, wins the race and moves on to the round of eight. Denny’s got a lot on the line. He’s got to make up his mind.”

“He’s in that position. Does he go for the win? Yes, he goes for the win! He wants 60. It’s I, I, I. And that’s what I like about Denny again is he wants to be that champion,” Petty continued.

According to the 65-year-old, Hamlin’s intentions are as clear as day. He wants to be the man with the most wins, and he’ll race anyone in his path to get there. He doesn’t race to make fans, and doesn’t care if a driver works for him or not. He raced Bubba fair and square. Bubba knew it was coming and had to know it was coming.

Petty didn’t mince words about Wallace’s reaction either, saying that if Bubba didn’t know it was coming, he needs to go find another profession because any driver will have to go through Hamlin to win races. And he showed he’s willing to go through anyone.

It didn’t pan out for Hamlin this time, but Petty believes these moments will define his legacy. When Hamlin’s name is eventually called for the Hall of Fame, Petty stated, the highlight reel will include Kansas, where his hunger for victory was written all over the final laps, even though it didn’t materialize, with the Chase Elliott taking the chequered flag.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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