With the Highpoint 400 in the past and another exciting race week up ahead, things aren’t looking good for Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin. Though the veteran is now third in the standings, being a solid contender for the championship four, his controversial act last week has made him public enemy #1. With the JGR driver proudly embracing the villain role and putting out more startling comments, the HMS drivers have ganged up on the 42-year-old considering his past tussles with all four of Rick Hendrick’s drivers.

A tangle with his friend and his seemingly hypocritical stance have earned him a lot of hate. Ahead of their race, both Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson have come up with sharp words against the veteran for “manipulating air” and ruining their days. It looks like we may have an all-out war on our hands between the veteran and the HMS squadron as the action heads to Richmond this week.

The entire HMS squadron trains their guns on Denny Hamlin

Now, over the past decade, there has been a rising trend. Cup Series drivers are becoming more and more aggressive, completely disregarding the spirit of racing. Although the sport is built on aggressive racing, the JGR veteran’s recent act of leading his friend Kyle Larson into the wall to steal his win at the last minute has sent shockwaves across the community.

The crowd at the 2.5-mile track bashed Hamlin, meeting him at the victory lane with loud boos and showing him the double middle finger. With Larson going from P2 to P21 in a split second, the #5 driver became the latest of Hamlin’s victims. This adds to the earlier incident with Alex Bowman during the early stage. “We got crashed with air,” that was what Bowman had to say when asked about last week.

Speaking to Fronstretch ahead of his Richmond run, the #48 driver said, “I mean it’s just as easy to crash somebody with air as it is running into him so that’s just racing and so focused on being faster this weekend.”While Hamlin furiously called out Bowman “a hack,” after their spill last year, the 30-year-old uncovered how the #11 JGR uses air to its advantage.

“I mean you’re still turning the guy around, I was plowing tight, and the next thing I knew I was backward in the fence so,” said the 30-year-old he also mentioned how Toyota’s aero package gives them an added advantage, saying, “I feel like 3 manufacturers manipulate air quite differently than each other and the Toyotas seem to be able to kind of manipulate that air more around the left rear of other cars than say I feel like I can but yeah one of those things.” 

Hendrick Motorsports Star Defends Denny Hamlin Wrecking Him, Blames NASCAR Instead

While Bowman remains in good spirits heading into Richmond, Hamlin certainly doesn’t have him on his side given their dramatic spills. Similar is the case for NASCAR’s poster boy, Chase Elliott. The #9 driver gave the veteran a befitting reply, bumping into the #11 Toyota and letting his actions do the talking when he wrecked him at Charlotte this year.

Yet another HMS driver dismisses Hamlin’s claims

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With two of its drivers already at odds with Hamlin, the remaining HMS drivers are William Byron and last week’s victim, Kyle Larson. The calm and cool Larson, however, did not let this one slide and called out Hamlin for his act, issuing him a stern warning for ruining his day and taking advantage of their friendship. Unlike the JGR driver who simply dismissed the allegation, Larson is trying to maintain the friendship while also attempting to get back at Hamlin.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Hamlin also has a history with the 25-year-old sensation, William Byron. Much like Elliott, the youngster did not take it lightly when the veteran led him into the fence off turn 2 at Texas Motor Speedway last year. While it was Hamlin who drew first blood, Byron quickly got the best of the exchange as he bumped the Toyota into a spin onto the grass.

Though both drivers buried the hatchet with Byron dropping down to Action Detrimental a few weeks back, the latest incident against his teammate has prompted the 25-year-old to come out swinging, saying, “I see it a little bit differently. I don’t think in Kyle’s (Larson) situation.. he’s already lifting on SMT so I think he’s going to hit the wall regardless.

“Like Denny (Hamlin) is the one that put him in that spot.. very similar to what happened at Texas (Motor Speedway) with us. So I think it’s just a situation where the inside guy is at an advantage – he has all the cards to play. And the outside guy is really dependent on what kind of race the inside guy wants it to be. I think it’s just a product of the Next Gen car and the way that the aero works,” said the 2nd ranked driver. 

It has been a bloody battle for the playoffs, with drivers doing their best to capitalize on each race. Hamlin’s action is certain to have repercussions, considering his ability to rile up even the calmest of the drivers. As we head to Richmond this week, we can certainly anticipate an all-out war between the HMS Chevrolets and the JGR #11 Toyota.

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