Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs clashed a week ago, but at Kansas the spotlight swung back to Hamlin, this time over how the veteran raced his own 23XI driver, Bubba Wallace, in the closing lap.
Advertisement
On the final restart, Hamlin forced his way beneath Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota on the backstretch, wrestling his ill-handling car with no power steering. The move drove Wallace into the wall, slowing down both cars and throwing the door wide open. Chase Elliott wasted no time, slipped past on the inside, and steered his No. 9 Hendrick Chevrolet straight to victory lane, securing his spot in the Round of 8.
For No. 23 driver, a win would have punched his playoff ticket, but instead, he settled for fifth and left Kansas 10th in points, 26 below the cutline. His frustration with his boss showed after the race.
“It’s unfortunate. I was excited to race Denny for the win, and we ended up fifth and gave the nine a win. So that’s what’s frustrating the most. We couldn’t get Toyota to victory lane. We’ve been working really hard to get our program back here at Kansas. We still got a lot of work to do. Played all of our cards right,” Wallace said.
Pressed on whether he had spoken with Hamlin, Wallace replied bluntly, “Can’t talk to him.” He later expanded, adding, “I’ve always been big on how you race me is our issue. No matter who you are, what you’re doing, what it is, we race hard, we race hard every week, Toyota drivers race really hard every week, but we respect each other. And there’s a fine line that sometimes you cross and you have to understand that.”
“Can’t talk to him. … I’ve always been big on how you race me is how I race you”@BubbaWallace was a corner away from a win in Kansas before he had contact with his boss Denny Hamlin
His reaction #NASCAR #HollywoodCasino400 pic.twitter.com/F29VSlVCAM
— Dalton Hopkins (@PitLaneCPT) September 28, 2025
Fans, however, were quick to call him out. One noted, “He did the same thing to Bell 2-3 times before Hamlin did,” while another added, “Wanted to race the 11 for the win??? Well you did the same thing to the 20 the 11 did to you the lap before.”
A third chimed in, “Did he forget he did the thing to Bell like 3 times?? And I believe Bell drives a Toyota♂️.” Another fan piled on, writing, “Should’ve asked him how he raced Bell.”
With emotions still running high, Wallace now intends to shift the page to the Round of 12 finale at the Roval. Sitting below the line, it’s a must-win scenario. But Wallace made his intentions clear; he’ll double down on the same hard-nosed approach he brought to Kansas, fighting tooth and nail to keep his playoff hopes alive.
