Back in the day when Danica Patrick and Denny Hamlin used to race against each other in the NASCAR Cup Series, there were several occasions where they got into each other in the racetrack. Discussing the number of times they crashed with each other, Patrick once spoke with Hamlin on her podcast, and the JGR driver explained his side of the story.
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Hamlin mentioned, “I’ll be honest with you, I did not crash you at all… Things happen.” Right after Danica intervened and said, “You crashed into me three times in a week at least.”
The 23XI Racing co-owner continued, “I know, I know, I was a little aggressive for sure. But usually, when I crash my friends, it’s only because I am trying to help…”
Speaking further, Hamlin explained how heading unto the 2015 Daytona 500, all he had in the back of his mind was to make sure that Patrick managed to finish the race, instead of focusing on his own performance at that point in time.
What happened between Denny Hamlin and Danica Patrick in the 2015 Daytona 500 week?
Throughout their career, the pair have had several on-track altercations that have led to arguments. But it was the one leading up to the Daytona 500 back in the 2015 season that everyone remembers.
The problems began when Hamlin and Patrick were involved in a four-car wreck during the practice sessions. Then, during the Daytona Duel race, the JGR driver punted Patrick and spun her out of contention. After the race ended, Patrick grabbed Hamlin and got into a full-blown argument with him, which is remembered by many NASCAR fans as an iconic confrontation.
Tensions remained between the two for a while, but it wasn’t long before they made amends regarding their on-track issues. In fact, in 2016, Patrick remarked that both of them must’ve been laughing about their confrontation the night after.
While Hamlin’s justification for ruining Patrick’s races may not have satisfied Patrick, it was nice to see that they continued with the friendship years after the incident.
