Kansas delivered another wild playoff finish, but it was not the winner’s lane that sparked the loudest debates. Chase Elliott crossed the checkered flag, but everyone’s still talking about the Hamlin-Wallace clash. Bubba Wallace needed that win more than him, and from a winning position, he ended up 5th after that nudge from Hamlin on the final lap. While most of them are scrutinizing Denny Hamlin, whether about his owner duties or as a driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr has recently surprised many by siding with Hamlin over the matter.

The brunt Wallace bore was sharper because he had been one of the day’s strongest cars. Earlier, he muscled Christopher Bell out of the lead with a clever use of side-drafting and aero positioning. While this worked, there was a cruel reversal too. When Hamlin made a nearly identical move in overtime, Wallace had no room to escape. Suddenly, the same tactic that boosted the No. 23 car came back to bite it. That irony made Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s take on the clash even more pointed.

Dale Jr. defends Denny Hamlin’s aggression

On his podcast, Dale Jr. broke down the restart, knowing exactly how dirty air changes everything in these cars. “When I watch the replay, Denny damn sure goes down into the corner and is going up the track. He’s taking his line. He ran him very aggressively,” he said.

In his eyes, Hamlin did cost Wallace the win. But the air between the cars did most of the dirty work. “Bubba still, I know Bubba hit the wall because his car was tight and he was on the outside. This phenomenon of the air that we just talked about, but there was room. It was like a car and a half.” For Dale Jr, this was racing with sharp elbows, not sabotage.

That comment only made matters interesting because Wallace had pulled the same trick on Christopher Bell earlier. Dale Jr. reminded listeners of that exact moment. “We saw it with the 20 car and the 23, Bubba Wallace, off of turn four… Bell had to lift really big there when they came off turn four.”

Bubba got the better of Bell then, using the same aero tightness that later put him into the fence. To Dale Jr, that was proof that Denny Hamlin’s move was not reckless. What Wallace dished out early, Hamlin returned late.

Even so, Jr. admitted Hamlin played with fire. “So Denny cost him the win? He sure did. Absolutely, he did. But I don’t know that Denny knew that’s what was going to happen when they went down the corner. Denny’s trying to win the race. He fired it down into turn three.” In other words, Hamlin was aggressive but not malicious. He was simply a driver chasing the trophy rather than an owner sabotaging his own stable.

Hamlin himself made it very clear on Actions Detrimental, saying, “I’m racing for the win. And I definitely won’t apologize for racing for the win.” He also added, “On Sunday I am the driver. The person in the 11 car is the driver.”

Wallace, meanwhile, left Kansas Speedway frustrated and in need of a miracle at Charlotte ROVAL to keep his playoff hopes alive. Hamlin remains in the thick of the title hunt, but the bigger storyline now hangs over 23XI.

Meanwhile, the debate over blame and balance has only heated up. Kevin Harvick recently stepped in with his own perspective on the Hamlin-Wallace clash at Kansas.

Kevin Harvick sympathizes with Denny Hamlin after Kansas

Kansas left a bitter taste for many, especially Bubba Wallace and fans of 23XI Racing. But among the louder voices this week, Kevin Harvick offered a different lens. Speaking on his podcast, Harvick leaned into the dual roles Hamlin occupies. He argued that the pressure to “race hard or else” is very real in that setup.

Harvick didn’t mince words about what he considers an unwritten rule among drivers who share a team. He laid it out simply, “You better make sure one of you wins the race.” He hammered home the cost this can take. “It took both teams out of contention, and they handed (it) to Chase Elliott.” For Harvick, the final cost was that the bird in hand was lost to the two in the bush.

Harvick added, “I’ve been in a position where you drive for another team and you own cars. And it’s really, really difficult because if he doesn’t try to win the race, his team is gonna be mad.” Co-ownership changes the reward and penalty structure. You don’t just lose to another driver. You risk internal wrath. He said that it didn’t matter if Hamlin’s move was perfectly timed or not. The burden of failure is heavier when your collision is with your “own” driver.

In Harvick’s eyes, the fallout from Kansas wasn’t just about one risky dive. It was about the delicate balance in modern NASCAR between ambition and team loyalty. When two drivers linked by ownership duel so aggressively, the wreckage is as much political as mechanical.