Denny Hamlin Promises Payback Against Fellow NASCAR Driver for Talladega Incident

TL;DR

Denny Hamlin plans to retaliate against Noah Gragson for an incident at Talladega where he was kept a lap down. Hamlin expressed his frustration on his podcast, indicating he will not show mercy in future races.

Key points

Denny Hamlin finished 15th at Talladega due to a speeding penalty.
Hamlin believes Noah Gragson intentionally kept him a lap down.
Hamlin plans to retaliate against Gragson in future races.

Denny HamlinNoah GragsonFront Row MotorsportsNASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin finished 15th in Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, caused by a speeding penalty that kept him a lap down for the majority of the race. Upon learning that he was seemingly kept a lap down intentionally by Noah Gragson, it appears the No. 11 car will get some payback.

On Monday’s episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin was informed that it was overheard on the radio that it was intentionally done, with radio communication from the No. 4 team indicating that staying out would keep Hamlin and other drivers a lap down.

“Really? This is the same Front Row team that I let back on the lead lap last week?…Really? Ok. Well, when it comes back around, when I go to lap Noah at one of these races, I’ll make sure I have no mercy then.”

Denny Hamlin’s reaction to Noah Gragson and the No. 4 team intentionally keeping him a lap down at Dega

Just a week prior, Hamlin had one of the most dominant cars at Kansas Speedway and led 131 laps on the day. As he noted on his podcast the following day, he raced with a bit of grace in helping Todd Gilliland avoid falling a lap down. One week later, he didn’t receive that same courtesy from FRM.

Hamlin noted that he didn’t think that was Gragson’s decision; it was instead the crew chief’s call. Coincidentally, Gragson appeared on Monday’s episode of Door Bumper Clear and certainly seemed to imply that he was the one behind the strategy.

“Guess what? I’d do it again…My team didn’t know the rule and I’m like, yeah, if we pit, then we can trap those guys a lap down still and then it gives us a one-lap buffer if we wreck at the end of the race.”

Noah Gragson on staying out to keep Denny Hamlin a lap down at Talladega Superspeedway

Q&A

What did Denny Hamlin say about Noah Gragson's actions at Talladega?

Denny Hamlin accused Noah Gragson of intentionally keeping him a lap down during the Talladega race and promised payback in future races.

How did a speeding penalty affect Denny Hamlin's performance at Talladega?

Hamlin finished 15th at Talladega largely due to a speeding penalty that kept him a lap down for most of the race.

What was Denny Hamlin's performance like in the previous race before Talladega?

In the race at Kansas Speedway, Hamlin had a dominant performance, leading 131 laps before the Talladega incident.