Following the controversial conflict on track between William Byron and Denny Hamlin, NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr spoke about how the Hendrick Motorsports driver was perhaps not thinking straight while admitting that he wrecked Hamlin on purpose.

Junior stated, “This is a common mistake by drivers, I’ve made it. You get outta the car and you are not using all of your brain cells in that moment. You’re still a little bit angry over it. You’re still a little bit, I’m gonna. So, William, he gets out of the car, I think he’s got this thing where he feels like, you know I’m tired of everybody thinking about me as this schoolkid. They ain’t gonna push me around, I’m gonna let ’em know.”

Read More: ‘Is It Alright to Loan This Guy?’ – Dale Earnhardt Jr Reveals Suspicious Eyes on Him Amid Crazy Noah Gragson Celebrations in Texas

He then continues, “And he’s still in that moment when he gets out and there’s a camera and a microphone in his face. He’s like, great opportunity for me to continue this narrative, I’m not gonna be pushed around, Yeah! I hit him on purpose. And then after the fact you go, dammit, I should not have said I hit him on purpose. There’s really nothing else to that.”

What happened between William Byron and Denny Hamlin at Texas Motor Speedway?

Denny had apparently pushed Byron up against the wall during the race and that did not go well with the Hendrick driver. He later chose to spin Hamlin, but he did so right as the caution flag came out.

Byron argued that he had no intention of spinning him out, rather he just wanted to bump him. Later during an interview, he stated. “I was just trying to give him a light tap there,” Byron said. “Nothing malicious. You see it all the time.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Dale Earnhardt Jr Bets on Kyle Larson Fulfilling His Non-NASCAR Dream

The following altercation landed Byron and his team a massive $50,000 fine and a deduction of 25 points. Since that would seriously hamper his playoff run, Hendrick later decided to file an appeal against the decision.