Last lap pass. The most exciting and dreaded phenomenon in a NASCAR Cup race. Exciting for the driver who is looking forward to stealing the lead from the competitor, but dreaded by the leader, whose dream of clinching the flag gets shattered despite leading the penultimate laps. Just like Kyle Larson lost the lead when Denny Hamlin surged past him in the last lap of the Kansas Speedway.
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Since last week’s on-track events in Kansas, the NASCAR fraternity has been debating if Hamlin’s last-lap pass was foul or fair. Sharing his side of the story, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver denied making deliberate contact with Larson in his latest appearance on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
Denny Hamlin admits that he misjudged the situation in Kansas
While discussing what he felt moments after climbing out of the car at the end of the race, Hamlin revealed that he was just trying to run as close to Larson as possible. He said,
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However, even though Hamlin’s strategy was to only have an advantage over Hendrick Motorsports’ #5 Chevy by driving close to it, it was the #5 spinning out on the last lap that helped Hamlin win the race. While talking about his contact with Larson, Hamlin explained,
Hamlin later even gave a few reasons for it not being a deliberate move on his part.
Was spinning Kyle Larson out a deliberate move?
Hamlin doesn’t think so. In fact, he believes that he never made contact with the #5 before the spin. He added,
Talking about the chat he had with Larson after the race, Hamlin said,
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By making that last-lap pass, Denny Hamlin ended his 33-race drought by clinching his first Cup race victory in almost a year. However, was his move actually a result of misjudgment or a way to overtake his competition? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.