Denny Hamlin dominated Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Despite the loss to Chase Elliott, he led 159 laps, sweeping both stages and posting the fastest lap. But the drama of the day, and its playoff implications, was overshadowed by a collision with his own 23XI Racing driver, Bubba Wallace, that left fans questioning Hamlin’s judgment and motives.

During the final two-lap shootout, Hamlin, struggling with just 10–20% power steering after reporting a loss on Lap 214, charged to the back bumper of Wallace. Attempting a low pass into Turn 3, Hamlin misjudged the move, shoving Wallace into the wall and costing both drivers momentum. As a result, Chase Elliott, who was restarting 10th on fresh tires, seized the moment to steal the win and secure a Round of 8 berth.

“I got really close to the 23. If I had to do it all over again, I’d run a little lower to give us some space, so I don’t get so tight and can turn the wheel more,” Denny Hamlin said.

But Hamlin’s defense, insisting he would have raced anyone the same way and that no one should accuse him of “laying over, ” has done little to placate fans. The post below on X was quick to light up with criticism, as many questioned the ethics of the collision and the tension of co-owning a team while pursuing personal milestones.

NASCAR fans were quick to label Hamlin’s maneuver “careless.” Yet the 23XI Racing co-owner defended himself, claiming he drove with the mindset of “if he’s into the wall, so be it.”

“Give me a break. I was off the gas and on the brakes 100 yards before the 23 (Wallace ) let off. I was turning as hard as I could, given the aero situation. The No. 11 team deserved that race. It didn’t work out,” Hamlin said after the race.

The fallout for Bubba Wallace was immediate: Wallace’s championship hopes took a major hit, finishing 5th and sitting 26 points behind Joey Logano with the Charlotte Roval as his last shot at advancing. Hamlin, by contrast, secured a comfortable 48 points above the cutline and sits fourth in the Round of 12 standings.

Sounding a bit disappointed (and getting teary-eyed) post-race, Hamlin reflected on the chaos: “I would have raced everyone the same way. No one will ever accuse me of laying over for anyone for a win. To win a championship, we’ve gotta figure out a way to move on. And I would have loved for me and the 23 to battle it out, but obviously I couldn’t turn the car well enough that last corner and got him.”

As for Wallace, he made it clear he wasn’t looking to confront his boss. Instead, he celebrated small victories with his crew after a grueling day, giving Hamlin a friendly pat on the side. Still, the 23XI driver couldn’t hide his frustration over how the final-lap incident unfolded, or over seeing his shot at the Round of 8 slip away in the Kansas heat.

“Can’t talk to him,” Wallace said. “I’ve always been big on how you race me is how I race you,” he added. “No matter who you are, what it is — we race hard. … I mean, you guys (have) seen it. It’s unfortunate. You know, I was excited to race Denny for the win, and we ended up fifth and gave the 9 (Elliott) a win. So that’s what’s frustrating the most. We couldn’t get Toyota to Victory Lane.”

And now, NASCAR fans aren’t giving Denny Hamlin the benefit of the doubt and have sounded off on his Kansas antics.

Fans criticise Denny Hamlin’s defense

Denny Hamlin’s on-track clash with Wallace at Kansas has ignited a storm of reactions from fans and insiders alike, many pointing to a pattern of behavior they say is all too familiar. One of the observers put it bluntly, “We’ve seen his temper tantrums enough times to know exactly how he’d react. He’d run straight to the DMT data and share it on Twitter if it would help his case.”

Another added nuance, acknowledging Hamlin’s racing skills but criticizing his contradictions by saying, ” I typically don’t have an issue with the way Denny races or his takes on his show. The only thing I have an issue with is how much of a f—— hypocrite he is.”

The irony of Hamlin’s action didn’t escape the fans, especially given his comments just a week prior. “I will say that it’s very ironic for Hamlin to go this route after saying last week that he figured Ty would want one of them to win the title since his name was on the building,” one fan pointed out.

Remember the New Hampshire race from last weekend? Denny Hamlin got into a nasty fight with Ty Gibbs. The latter driver, the only non-playoff contender of JGR, was not giving room to his teammates. And that led to Hamlin’s on-track aggression – and a generally tense atmosphere at JGR. Now, Hamlin’s situation with Wallace created a greater rift inside the Toyota bandwagon.

Others raised concerns about Hamlin’s accountability, noting, “Hamlin almost never admits he was wrong. And most of the time when he does, it seems like the result of pressure.” While Denny has shared his side of the explanation already, his 23XI employee Charles Denike also had different views on Bubba’s run.

“Huge result and resiliency. He did a great job sticking with it and just fighting through one stint at a time. We clawed our way back to where we needed to be and then felt like we were able to maintain good control. Really proud of what Bubba did this race. All you can ask for is a shot to win at the end, and we certainly had that multiple times.”

Another summed up the sentiment with a sarcastic jab at the Hamlin-Wallace dynamic: “I’m sure your employees love you totaling Bubba’s car, bossman.” While the fan had a point here, Bubba had something better to add.

“Every stint that went by, my smile got bigger and bigger because we were getting back up to the front. It was nice to see everybody sticking together. Intensity ramps up, the emotions ramp up, and I’m vocal, like, we need to fix our car immediately. And they kept their heads down, gave me the appropriate adjustments, and we made it work, and we had a shot for the win,” Wallace said.

Together, these reactions begin to paint a picture of a driver whose talent is undeniable but whose on-track decisions and their fallout continue to provoke frustration, irony, and a fair bit of social media heat.