In recent times, the on-track rivalry between Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin has been one of the most exciting aspects of NASCAR. While both drivers were at each other’s necks at Kansas Speedway, the Hendrick Motorsports driver came out shining this time around. However, Hamlin felt he could have approached the race differently.

After 12 races in the Cup Series this campaign, the #11 driver sits fourth with three wins to his name. While he was close to registering his fourth win of the season, Larson’s intelligence came in his way. In fact, on a rather surprising note, the defeat even made Hamlin relate to F1 champion Max Verstappen.

Denny Hamlin gives an in-depth analysis of where things went wrong for him at Kansas Speedway

A lot has transpired since Denny Hamlin declared that this year was going to be his championship-winning season. While his form certainly gives him the edge, there’s still a long way to go. In fact, with how things went at Kansas, Hamlin realized there was still plenty for him to work on.

Speaking in the recent episode of his podcast “Actions Detrimental”, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver explained how a different approach could have helped him in Kansas. At first, Hamlin pointed out the turning point for him in the race. When the caution came out in the dying minutes of the race, his crew chief Chris Gabehart indicated Larson was likely to choose the outside.

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Hamlin explained his thought process then. He said, “So at that point, I’m like, ‘Good, I don’t want Kyle starting behind me because I know he’s going to split three wide and whoever he splits three wide is gonna go backward really quick’.”

The disadvantage here to the driver behind whom Larson would go would have air dumping on the left side of his spoiler from Hamlin’s car. At the same, he would also face air dumping on the right side of his side through Larson’s car, resulting in a double parachute, pulling him backward.

Unfortunately for Hamlin, he was the one who ended up in that situation and faced the dumped air during the race. In fact, he faced a similar experience in 2017 during the Daytona 500 where he chose the wrong lane then as well. Hence, it was certainly a lesson well learned for the NASCAR veteran. 

In his words, “It’s a live-and-learn situation. It didn’t work out and certainly, I would’ve done something different the next time around. But yes, I did not, when he lined up behind me, I did not like it at all because I knew he was not gonna push for a very long time. Yeah, certainly not an extended period of time.”

Before Kansas, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin finished first and second together six times. While Hamlin registered the win in all six races, it wasn’t the case in the latest Cup Series race. When asked if he could have won the race had he started at the top after the caution, the #11 driver gave a hilarious response.

Hamlin then resorted to what F1 superstar Max Verstappen had to say after his loss to Lando Norris at the Miami Grand Prix. As per Verstappen, there are always plenty of ‘if this, then that’ scenarios in a race. To explain his point, he used a hilarious 9-word analogy saying, “If my mum had b*lls, she’d be my dad.” 

While Hamlin tried to indirectly use the same analogy, his point remained that all the possibilities are just in hindsight. However, with both Larson and Hamlin constantly challenging for the top spot, can this developing rivalry turn out to be one of the greatest?

Can Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin live up to the high rivalry expectations?

There is no denying the immense quality both Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson possess behind the wheel. Having said that, the 2024 campaign has seen both drivers turn up the heat and be around each other more often than not. Statistically, Larson has led 633 laps this season in comparison to Hamlin’s count of 606 laps.

When it comes to dominating with stage wins, the HMS driver leads with six stage wins. At the same time, Hamlin has three stage wins. However, the JGR driver triumphs over Larson when it comes to winning races with three wins. While Larson has won twice, he currently sits at the top of the Cup Series table with 467 points as Hamlin sits in the fourth position.

Having said that, there’s still plenty of action left in the campaign. If the Hamlin-Larson rivalry has to reach the next level, it has to be more fierce with time. Also, with both these drivers associated with HMS and JGR, the rivalry has the potential to grow big time. Moreover, Hamlin’s claim of this year being his, it could immensely spice up should Larson pose a strong challenge for the title.

All in all, the Hamlin-Larson rivalry could turn out to be the highlight of the 2024 season. Does it have the potential to reach the level of the Cale Yarborough-Bobby Allison/Richard Petty-David Pearson/Tony Stewart-Kurt Busch/Dale Earnhardt-Jeff Gordon rivalry? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.