It was looking like a near-perfect day for Denny Hamlin at Kansas. After claiming the first stage of the race, he was leading with only two laps to go. Moreover, his only competitor, Tyler Reddick, was right behind him, low on fuel. He had a clear path to victory. That is, until the car in front of him decided to spin out. And Denny Hamlin is still sour about that.

Denny Hamlin points fingers at Cody Ware again

“I mean, 60+ laps on tires that were cording after 40. Eventually, yeah, tires pop if you don’t change them.” Hamlin replied to Brent Wentz, who was trying to explain why Cody Ware spun out right before the end of the race at Kansas.

In his post, Wentz details that he has the experience of working for the best teams in his 26-year-long career. Cody Ware made contact with the wall with only 12 laps to go. The team was unsure if the tires would last, but they made one last gamble. The proof for the same was in the race snippet posted by Steven Taranto.

As Wentz explains, “Unfortunately today we had a tire go down 10 laps after some wall contact; 38, 71, and 8 were all on our lap at that moment. We felt it out for a few laps, and it seemed to be ok to complete the event distance. Obviously that didn’t shake out… tough deal.”

But that is not enough for Denny Hamlin. He is not trying to hide his frustration with Cody Ware and his team. Moreover, he publicly challenged Wentz, implying that he did not know what he was doing. For Hamlin, it was Ware and his team that seemingly ‘sabotaged’ his race. Here’s how it actually played out.

Cody Ware from Rick Ware Racing was the driver in front of Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick in the final laps. His tires were already worn out, and when he hit the wall trying to keep his car under control, they blew up, sending him into a spin. NASCAR immediately threw a caution flag for that. That basically reset the entire grid, and Hamlin lost his commanding lead.

Ideally the situation should have played out in Denny Hamlin’s favor. He was in P1, and Tyler Reddick was in P2 with two laps to go. Had the caution not come out, Hamlin could’ve cruised to victory as his competitors were far behind him. There was a considerable gap between him and Kyle Larson too, who was in P3 but unable to challenge for victory.

On the restart, Hamlin ended up losing position immediately and ended the race off the podium. Hamlin would finish the race in P4, as he could not launch his car well in the final restart. Tyler Reddick, who was able to fuel his car for one last time in the pits, immediately took control of the race and battled it out with Larson to the finish. Meanwhile, Hamlin was nowhere to be seen among the race leaders due to the botched restart.

On one hand, his frustration is understandable. This is just like Phoenix all over again for him. While the stakes were certainly lower than a championship title, it was still a race victory that he lost.

But if we analyze the situation from the other team’s perspective, it does feel slightly unwarranted on his part. The other team was trying to maximize its chances. On track, it was clear that Cody Ware was not trying to get in their way. He is actively avoiding the race leaders and running his own race.

However, Hamlin directing his anger at Rick Ware Racing seems misplaced. They just happened to be caught up in the situation.

Rick Ware Racing tries to pacify furious Denny Hamlin

Rather than arguing, Wentz simply explained the circumstances to Hamlin to prevent the situation from escalating.

In the replies below Hamlin’s post, Wentz said, “Having a win slip away on a GWC or late-race caution is frustrating; pretty sure we have all been there at some point. Not disregarding that. Each race situation is different from 1st to the last. We do our best to be respectful in what we can control from a spotter/driver perspective and how the races are playing out.

“I know Lambert sees the respect difference given from our race perspective over the last few seasons. Unfortunately, it played out the way it did yesterday.”

It was a mature response from Wentz that would seemingly defuse the situation for now. Even the fans are supporting him over this narrative. They are trying to remind Hamlin of the fact that each team has its own challenges, and Rick Ware Racing was just chasing the best finish they could.

The fans are also trying to remind Denny Hamlin of the multiple instances where he and his team took risks in order to get a better finish. From a neutral perspective, it does feel like Hamlin might be taking things too far with Cody Ware and his team. While his frustration is understandable, publicly blaming a struggling team is a bad look for Hamlin.