When you have two of NASCAR’s finest drivers, it’s almost certain that they’ll be paired against one other. That is once again the story between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. The incident in New Hampshire, as well as subsequent comments, fueled the flames. However, this was not their first disagreement. Just recently, in Iowa, Hamlin, who was a lap down at the time, collided with the HMS driver while leading.
While their on-track altercation in New Hampshire made headlines, it was Kyle Larson’s angry radio exchange with his spotter that drew the most attention. While we usually observe drivers having angry conversations with other drivers, this time is different. And let’s just say, Tyler Monn appears to have gotten on Kyle Larson’s nerve.
Kyle Larson’s spotter pressed a button.
Poor weather had already made the race in New Hampshire difficult. And practically everyone was determined to do their best. During the last stage of the race, Denny Hamlin took advantage of the extra space in the middle, pushed Larson wide, and finished second. However, the #5 driver did not retaliate significantly. And this just sparked something in Tyler Monn, his spotter. And he didn’t mince his words.
During the yellow flag on lap 214, Monn offered Kyle Larson a reality check. He said, “He [Denny] always runs you like that; do you know why? Because you allowed that to happen!” And what could one anticipate but Larson’s retaliation? He was not thrilled with Monn’s heated and hostile reply, saying, “Shut the f**k up.” Do you think this is simply banter? Because most people, including another spotter, didn’t think it did.
According to Brett Griffin, it lacked the “buddies” component. Insiders Brett Griffin and Freddie Kraft stated that dropping an F-bomb is not unusual. They do had similar incidents occur. According to them, Larson’s reply did not indicate that he took it lightly. Freddie Kraft observed that Larson did not respond with a playful’shut up’. Instead, it appeared that Monn had touched a nerve.
Brett Griffin found Monn’s action to be particularly hazardous. On the ‘Door Bumper Clear’ podcast, he stated, “But if you’re not buddies and you really pissed him off right there because you’re implying he’s not a good enough driver, hey, this is Kyle Larson, by the way.” You understand what I mean. I’m not going to reveal another guy’s name since people are so sensitive in today’s environment, but things may go wrong very quickly. You do not want to harm your connection.”
Griffin did, however, warn that it might go both ways, recalling a similar incident. He said he was sitting near Kevin Hamlin, Alex Bowman’s spotter. As it happened, Kevin was furious with Clint Bowyer for something he said on the radio. He also went on to send a lengthy note to Bowyer. Griffin recalled his advise to his colleague spotter, saying, “I told him that a guy who makes $100,000 a year cannot text a guy who makes $10 million a year. Sometimes you have to accept the blows. He sent the message, and I thought, “Well, this is going to go one of two ways: either you get Clint’s respect, or he tells you off.” And, well, Kevin Hamlin earned Clint’s respect.
So the situation with Larson and Rick Hendrick’s $100,000 employee, Tyler Monn, could potentially go both ways. Denny Hamlin has his own opinion on who is correct and who is incorrect in the narrative.
Denny Hamlin makes a bold statement regarding spotters.
Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin may not agree on everything, but Hamlin is there to support him following what happened between him and his spotter. He stated, “I agree with Kyle Larson.” Tyler should stop the f*** up. According to Hamlin, Monn does not say the same thing when Kyle Larson squeezes somebody up high. Hamlin did not back down from his statements and even made a contentious statement. He went on: “You know, that’s the thing about spotters is that they are so biased to their guy, and that’s what they need to be at times.”
Hamlin boldly stated that the HMS driver couldn’t catch up with him, so he made the manoeuvre. The JGR driver claimed that he was faster, and that Kyle Larson’s two-tire strategy was the catalyst for the incident. He stated on his podcast Action Detrimental, “So the reason we make contact is because I’m like, ‘I don’t have time to be screwing with you here.'” Like, I need to be clear. You’re not going to hold me back, thus you’re not going to win the race. So we’re not going to give each other an inch to clear. Then you know off turn four, the next lap… “I ran him up because I was like, ‘F**k this dude…'”I cannot keep d*cking with you here. I’ve got to run down this 45. “We have water on the windshield.”
In terms of rivalry rumours, Larson doesn’t care if his team suddenly considers him a rival. He responded: “I don’t care whether they do or don’t.” Neither of the two ended up winning the race. In fact, because to the weather delay, Hamlin finished 24th. Larson managed to finish fourth.
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