Denny Hamlin has never shied away from speaking his mind, and recently, he turned his attention to a chaotic pit road clash at Talladega. Ty Dillon, grandson of team owner Richard Childress, found himself in the spotlight after his No. 10 Chevy hit a couple of free tires from Josh Berry’s pit stall, which in turn hit Berry’s tire changer’s legs while working. This sparked an immediate outcry over safety lapses, and amid the growing backlash, Hamlin offered his measured take.

Dillon, a Cup Series veteran since 2014, has navigated his share of scrutiny, from early RCR rides to stints at Germain and Spire before landing full-time at Kaulig this year. Yet as replays looped and tempers flared online, Hamlin’s perspective went beyond the surface blame.

Denny Hamlin breaks down the pit road drama

Hamlin addressed the viral clip head-on in his Action Detrimental podcast, giving Dillon the benefit of the doubt in a sport where intent often gets lost in the heat. “Yeah, it’s certainly—I mean, it doesn’t look good, but I’ll try to give the benefit of the doubt,” Hamlin said. “I never think that anyone has ill intentions to screw anyone else over or hurt someone.”

This stance comes from a driver who’s pitted under fire countless times, knowing how blind spots and pressure can blur judgment. As Hamlin shared insights, Dillon had gone deep into his stall earlier, then squeezed out to hold track position, a common gamble when lap positions are at stake.

No fines hit from NASCAR, unlike the L1 penalty Dillon’s team drew in 2022 for inspection issues, but the optics stung, especially after his Las Vegas crash, where spotter Joe White got fired over a failed heads-up to Byron’s crew.

The criticism peaked with a sharp X post: “Just an atrocious move from Ty Dillon here. Absolutely no need to hit that tire. The tire is well within the box of the 21 car, and there’s no reason for actions like that.” It’s a fair jab, echoing fan frustration, where some demanded “huge penalties” for endangering personnel, building on Dillon‘s uneven 2025 season, 20th at Talladega, and only 1 top-10 finish yet.

Just an atrocious move from Ty Dillon here. Absolutely no need to hit that tire.

The tire is well within the box of the 21 car and there’s no reason for actions like that. pic.twitter.com/KiDu2QanHg

— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) October 19, 2025

But Hamlin pushed back, rationalizing Dillon’s view from the cockpit. “I think that he just said, ‘Well, if I can clear the bumper of the 21, then I’m all good,'” Hamlin explained. “But unfortunately, someone was sitting there with a tire right behind them and knocked the tire into the guy. So, yeah, it certainly looked bad.”

Spotters only warned Dillon about the No. 21 crew, and nothing else, so he had to carefully back up to avoid hitting anything — a tricky situation Hamlin said he’s faced too.

Kyle Petty also gave his fair share of takes on this incident, stating, “Ty Dillon left the pit box thinking, ‘I’m not responsible for what this car hits.’ The tire is there. You’ve got to avoid that tire because you’re gonna knock that tire exactly like he did, up under the back of the car, into a crew member. That’s a safety no-no.”

This stance by Petty shows the bigger picture beyond fines and points deductions by NASCAR. He talks about the responsibility of a driver to look around themselves to ensure that their driving is not hurting anyone. It’s not becoming a safety concern for people around you. To be safe and drive safely is what Petty is referring to in a sport where people ease their minds on the weekends.

But as Hamlin wrapped his thoughts on Dillon, he shifted gears to another team shakeup brewing off-track, one that’s left observers guessing on fault lines.

Hamlin holds back on Spire-Haley fallout

Denny Hamlin’s even keel extended to the news of Justin Haley‘s exit from Spire Motorsports after this season, a split that’s rocked the mid-tier outfit since Haley snagged their lone Cup win back in 2019 at Daytona. Haley, who jumped in mid-2024, replacing Corey LaJoie, posted a rough 31st in points with just one top-five despite a crew chief swap from Rodney Childers after nine races.

Hamlin, ever the strategist, nodded to the mismatch without pointing fingers, saying, “I just never saw enough out of the #7 that I was seeing in the #77 or the #71. And so I don’t know the reason for that.”

This “divorce,” as Hamlin called it, traces to Haley’s inconsistent chemistry at Spire; strong starts in ’19-20 gave way to middling runs at Kaulig and Rick Ware before his return.

Hamlin wrapped it neatly: “So, for me, it would all be speculation, and I don’t really care to throw anyone under the bus, but certainly you can’t argue that the results were not there for whatever the reason were.”

It’s classic Hamlin, analytical yet diplomatic, echoing how Spire’s engineering or leadership might factor in, without fueling garage gossip as they hunt a No. 7 replacement.