“Seas kind of parted and was just able to keep my momentum up. That was really it,” Chase Elliott said after his recent glory in Kansas. The No. 9 driver was determined to put his Chevrolet team at the top of the championship conversation. And he did so after taking advantage of an overtime finish, fetching his season’s second victory. But it was only possible after the ‘seas parted’ inside the Toyota bandwagon.

Denny Hamlin was in the spotlight before Chase Elliott’s last-lap stroke of luck. The JGR veteran led a race-high 159 laps and swept both stages of the Hollywood Casino 400. But instead of going through with that streak, Hamlin got caught in another internal controversy – and he pleaded his innocence this time as well.

Denny Hamlin brushes off targeted claim

After dominating for most of the race, Denny Hamlin was determined to stay relevant. After exchanging the lead with Christopher Bell several times, he eventually lost it around lap 255, incurring a slow pit stop for two tires. After that, he worked hard to climb back up, especially since his power steering could not work anymore. That strenuous grind is what led a NASCAR fan to believe that Hamlin’s subsequent actions were questionable. He initiated door-to-door contact with race leader Bubba Wallace, and that eventually allowed Chase Elliott to get away. The fan wrote on X, “I think what Denny did was more careless.” 

They continued, “With no power steering I feel like Denny drove it in with the mindset of “if he’s in the wall so be it”. Not only did he take himself out, he took out his driver and possibly a shot at any 23XI driver in the R8 and gave the win to a Chevy. Not smart.” However, Denny Hamlin knew what to say, as he wrote a response on X.

Denny Hamlin claimed that Bubba Wallace unduly continued making contact. The JGR driver, on his part, did his best to keep the No. 11 Toyota under check. Hamlin wrote on X, “Give me a break. I was off the gas and on the brakes 100yds before the 23 let off. I was turning as hard as I could given the aero situation. 11 team deserved that race. It didn’t work out.” This comes just a week after Hamlin got aggressive with Ty Gibbs, who refused to give room in New Hampshire. They spoke to each other at the JGR team meeting, about which no details have been shared.

Despite defending his innocence in the last-lap scramble in Kansas, Denny Hamlin was openly affable towards Bubba Wallace. The No. 23 Toyota driver had some choice words for Hamlin, for whom he drives in 23XI Racing. Yet Wallace came over to his team owner during his pit road interview. Each gave the other a quick hug. However, Wallace likely felt as bad as Hamlin did, knowing that he’s 27 points below the cutoff line. With the Charlotte Roval race next Sunday, Wallace’s championship hopes hang by a thread.

Although Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace seem keen on resolving their differences, another Toyota driver got caught in their mess.

Seeing no way out

Well, Denny Hamlin was not the only JGR driver in the spotlight in Kansas. Chase Briscoe was the polesitter, and Christopher Bell was a fierce contender. The No. 20 Toyota driver hounded Hamlin’s dominance several times during the race. Bell hoped to follow up on his Bristol glory. Yet he was also an unexpected participant in the last-lap confusion. While Bubba Wallace was dueling with Hamlin, Bell could have slipped away and retained Toyota’s dominance. However, he could not do so as Chase Elliott grabbed that opening.

Christopher Bell finished right behind runner-up Hamlin. This helped give Joe Gibbs Racing a 2-3-4 finish in the event, with Chase Briscoe finishing fourth. However, Bell harbored regrets for losing the chance for a runner-up finish or a win. He said, “I honestly don’t know what I could have done. I’m leaving here feeling pretty satisfied and that was a bummer whenever I lost the lead on the (final) restart (in overtime). We caught the wrong timing line, but even looking back at it, it was such a 50-50 call on those restarts of whether you want it to be the inside or the outside. I don’t know what I would do different.” He added, “I thought we left it all on the table and didn’t win today.”

Despite the critical focus on Denny Hamlin, the JGR veteran was trying his best for Toyota. So are his teammates, so let’s wait and see how well they can fare in the playoffs.