During the playoff race at Martinsville, where Denny Hamlin ended up being eliminated from the final four playoff spots, something took place during the race that left the JGR driver fuming over the radio. All he would have wanted was to race against fellow playoff drivers in a bid to make the final race of the season as a championship contender. Instead what he got was non-playoff driver Joey Logano trying to have a say in a pulsating battle.
Advertisement
After the conclusion of the race, Hamlin had the chance to speak with journalists where he spoke about being upset with Logano, slamming the Team Penske driver for his utter lack of respect despite not being in contention.
Speaking with journalist Bob Pockrass, Hamlin noted, “I mean, the only issue I really had was with Logano knocking out Ty (Gibbs) there, knocking to Ty into me, I just thought some more respect to be out there for guys that myself and the #12 we’re trying to earn a spot in the Final Four. And I thought that we deserved a chance to race it amongst ourselves and not have somebody else in there knocking cars around.”
Denny Hamlin on what was going through his mind in the final stage when Ryan Blaney was pulling away and also what he thought of how non-playoff drivers raced (he wasn’t thrilled with Joey Logano). pic.twitter.com/IOB5Gc2pfA
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 29, 2023
Hamlin’s displeasure was understandable, considering that he was racing for a spot in the final four, while Logano had already been eliminated from the playoffs and had nothing to gain from that incident.
What Logano may have been trying to do was take out Hamlin’s teammate so the JGR driver would not have any help moving through the field. This would have ended up helping Logano’s teammate Ryan Blaney, against whom Hamlin had been fighting for the final two spots in the championship four.
Hamlin yelled expletives at Logano during the incident
The amount of pressure the playoff drivers go through in a make-it-or-break-it situation is unimaginable and having someone carry out their shenanigans next to you on the race track can be a frustrating experience. Not to mention that the race day had been unusually hot at Martinsville, so with everything added together, Hamlin lost his cool and yelled on the radio.
“F***ing Joey (Logano), he’s a f***ing piece of sh** human.”
Denny Hamlin
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) October 29, 2023
His radio message stated, “F***ing Joey (Logano), he’s a f***ing piece of sh** human.”
Anyone who would have been in Hamlin’s shoes at that point in time would have reacted in a similar manner, considering how uncalled for the wreck had been.
In situations like these, the non-playoff teammates often come in handy to help block competitors and aid their teammates in gaining an advantage. Although deliberately wrecking someone out isn’t the textbook definition of helping their teammate out.
