Pit This Time may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our coverage. Learn more.
Denny Hamlin said Joey Logano told him he did not know Hamlin was there when Logano’s move sent Hamlin and Christopher Bell spinning at Martinsville Speedway, and that he believes him.
Hamlin talked about the crash on his Actions Detrimental podcast with guest host Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Hamlin: ‘There was actually nobody behind us’
Hamlin said he asked Logano why he forced his way three-wide when the three cars were at the back of the field after taking the wave-around.
“I said, ‘Hey, did you really feel like you had to jam it in there three-wide? There was actually nobody behind us; we were the last cars on the racetrack because we had to take the wave-around from the Hocevar self-spin,’” Hamlin said.
Logano: ‘I thought the 20 was just blocking me’
Hamlin said Logano told him he only saw Bell.
“He said, ‘I’ll be honest with you. I thought the 20 was just blocking me down the straightaway. I didn’t know he was on the inside of you,’” Hamlin said. “And I looked at it, and I’m like, I can see where that’d be a possibility. And so I just said, ‘Gotcha, I understand. I understand.’ I take him at face value on that.”
“If you look at his in-car camera, you can’t see me,” Hamlin said. “And so it looks like Joey got a run off, and it looks like, if I’m Joey, the 20 is just trying to block me. And he’s like, ‘Well, yeah, I’m just going to pop him here and send him a little bit,’ and I just was the guy that was there.”
A costly crash for the title contenders
Hamlin’s car was damaged in the crash, and both Joe Gibbs Racing drivers lost track position. The caution also let Kyle Larson, who was a lap down, back onto the lead lap with the free pass. Hamlin finished sixth, Larson ninth and Bell 10th.
Larson leads Bell by 67 points and Hamlin by 70 heading into Sunday’s finale. Hamlin has called his title chances “unrealistic,” as Pit This Time reported.
A long rivalry
Hamlin and Logano have clashed for years, dating back to their time as Joe Gibbs Racing teammates and Logano’s 2013 move to Team Penske. Logano finished 18th at Martinsville and is out of title contention.
The Cup Series finale is Sunday, November 8, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC from Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Leave a Reply