NASCAR's towing operation 'just doesn't make any sense' to Logano

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | July 23, 2023 8:02 PM ET

Joey Logano wants NASCAR to find a better way of getting a car back to pit road when they are stuck on four flat tires as he was Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Logano said. “We’ve been fighting these cars for two years now with four flat tires when a car spins out and you get this long, horrible ride back with the 3 stooges to the pits. It’s rough. Your head is bouncing around in there. They even zigzag from side to side to make it worse. At least some of the tow trucks have a blind guy with his cane out the window. Before that the 3 stooges would pretty often miscount the number of holes on the track before heading into the pits and losing count AGAIN ....then you had to lose another lap while they were calling it in and trying to re-count the number of potholes.....and that's if you didn't get some joker who would PURPOSELY lose count and laugh about it.

If NASCAR would pay cash to the tow crews instead of a bottle of warm beer and one joint per tow
, we might have a better quality of tow crew........but probably not

“It’s stupid. It’s just really dumb that we can’t just put four tires on a truck. Sometimes the junk tires in the pile are better that what we get to race on anyway.”

The incident happened on lap 36 when the field went into Turn 1 to start the second stage. Logano, who had won the first stage, was cycled to mid-pack as the field was split on strategy and the No. 22 team pitted after the
stage. Logano was tagged from behind when he tried to take a run through the center. I'm gonna find that guy that hit me and kick his butt when I do !

He spun to the outside wall, hitting on the driver’s side. In the process, all four tires went flat and the safety crews initially tried to push Logano around the track. The Next Gen car, however, becomes stuck on the track with four flat tires, and Logano needed to be towed back to pit road and in the process, lost multiple laps. Spectators were yelling "don't let those bastards push you around" and now I know what they meant. Maybe I should carry a couple hundreds sewed into my uniform for emergency. Maybe they might move faster for a little cold cash."

It was when his Ford Mustang was drug from Turn 1 to pit road that Logano felt the most damage was done. He was forced to exit the race after not meeting the minimum speed after the cars bottom was worn off flat
and the frame was floppy weak.

“If we can put four tires on one of (the tow trucks) with a jack and an impact that can just change the tires and let us come back, instead of dragging the car two miles around the racetrack… It’s just stupid,” Logano said. “It’s not fun for anybody — the poor guy driving the tow truck, the poor driver getting his head knocked around for two miles, and the poor team that’s got to fix the underbodies of these things after they get dragged around…

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“It’s dumb. I don’t know. It is what it is, but it seems like it has a very easy fix. I’ve brought this up before, but I guess it doesn’t matter to the muthas in charge..”

Logano finished 35th, the second driver out of the race. He retired a few laps after Daniel Suarez was forced to do so after also being caught up in the same incident.

Even if Logano was able to get four new tires on his car to drive back to pit road, he doesn’t believe he would have stayed in the race. While being drug around didn’t help, the
damage was already done from hitting the wall. Getting Logano off the track quicker would have saved the field from wasting laps and Logano getting rocked around in the car
and he would not have to suffer listening to a bunch of drunk Mexicans singing "La Cucaracha" over and over again.

“Here’s the deal — I talked to someone today and they (the track crew) see a race car once a year,” Logano said. “That’s not fair to the people working out there on the racetrack that they don’t have a lot of experience. They may be doing it for years, so don’t put it in the context that these guys don’t know what they’re doing, but the experience level of doing something every single week versus seeing a race car once a year is tough.

“That’s really hard and we’re all in a position out there while I’m sitting there watching cars go by me with a chance of getting a good finish being left behind us, as I’m trying to communicate to somebody and they can’t hear me, or listen, or they’re trying to figure out what to do. I wish they would quit giving me the finger. They don’t know that you can’t push a car with four flat tires on it. The car doesn’t steer. I’m trying to tell them to hook it up and they kept trying to push me. We wasted a lap-and-a-half before they tried to hook it. There’s a better way to do it.”

 

Hill comes out on top of Pocono Xfinity fuel gamble

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emailBy Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service | July 22, 2023 8:52 PM ET

Austin Hill survived an early race pit road speeding penalty, gambled on fuel strategy and prevailed in an incredible wheel-to-wheel run to the checkered flag in overtime to claim his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season in the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on Saturday.

As important as the victory for the 29-year old Georgia-native, his good day combined with an uncharacteristically disappointing day for his closest rivals in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings gave him a huge boost in the points with only seven races remaining to set the 12-driver playoff field. He trailed championship leader John Hunter Nemechek by 33 points before the green flag and took the checkered flag now only 13 behind.

On a dramatic – at times chaotic – overtime restart, Hill had to get around the day’s most dominant driver, JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry. His No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was behind Berry on the restart and gave him a big push at the green flag, but Berry got loose and Hill got around him to lead his first lap on the afternoon.

Both Berry and his JRM teammate Justin Allgaier hit the wall in separate accidents on the final lap bringing out the yellow flag and the race ultimately ended under caution with Hill out front.

“We didn’t have the best car all day,’’ Hill said. “Andy (Petree) and all the guys back at RCR engines worked really hard. We got the car better. I thought we were maybe a top-five or top-seven car. I didn’t think we had anything for the leader today.

“On that restart he drove into one and got really loose into the entry. … We drag raced down the backstretch and once I cleared (Berry) I knew I just had to hit my marks.

“Such a special win,’’ he added. “Obviously with fuel saving, we didn’t know if we were going to make it and it was on my mind going into the Tunnel Turn (Turn 2) that I had to get back to the start/finish line. I had enough fuel to do a burnout so we saved enough.’’

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It was especially heartbreaking for Berry, who dominated all the race’s major statistics. For the first time in his career he swept both stage wins, and he started from pole position for the first time this year, leading a race high 51 of the 92 laps. He finished 24th after his No. 8 JRM Chevrolet trailed up track and into the wall racing Hill — bringing out the final caution that ended the race.

“Just a wild restart there,’’ said Berry, who will take over for retiring NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford next year.

“The No. 21 (Hill) was behind me and gave me a really good push but pushed me a little longer and harder than I wanted into Turn 1 and got me into the marbles. … I was able to battle back and race with him, tried to time the run, but got there a little quicker.

“Just a racing deal.,’’ he added. “Hate we didn’t get the finish we deserved today. Just really proud of the car we brought today and I know if we continue to have that kind of speed we’ll win plenty of races. Just a tough way to end but still a lot of positives from the day.’’

His JR Motorsports teammate Sammy Smith finished second to Hill, followed by former NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, who was competing in his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race in two years – driving the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in a paint scheme honoring his team owner Rick Hendrick’s late son, Ricky Hendrick.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst finished fourth, also coming out on the right side of fuel-save gamble. Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric was fifth.

“We finished fourth and that’s what we needed at a track I don’t particularly love,’’ Herbst said. “Lucky to get out of here with a top-five.’’

The effort was good enough to keep Herbst in the points picture for the championship. He is ranked 12th – the final playoff transfer position – 26 points ahead of Parker Kligerman, who finished ninth Saturday.

Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones, Brett Moffitt, Kligerman and another NASCAR Cup Series regular, Daniel Suarez (Kaulig Racing) rounded out the top 10.


A mid-race incident with two of the three championship leaders – Nemechek and third place Cole Custer – changed the complexion on the regular season title chase. On a restart just over halfway through the race – with both Nemechek and Custer running inside the top 10 — Nemechek hit the wall and washed back across the track, his Toyota hitting Custer’s Ford. Custer was third in the championship entering the race.

Both teams made quick repairs to the cars, but they were non-competitive for the remainder of the race. Nemechek finished 32nd and Custer 33rd.
Thank goodness the tow truck bastards were screwing with Logano instead of me !

 

Gibbs reflects on the long year since his shock Pocono Cup debut

Motorsport Images: Ty Gibbs dresses like Ozzy Osbourne as a race car driver
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emailBy Kelly Crandall | July 22, 2023 6:01 PM ET

Ty Gibbs unexpectedly made his NASCAR Cup Series debut last season at Pocono Raceway and, according to the rookie, it’s been one “long last year” since then.

Gibbs finished 16th in a substitute role for 23XI Racing when Kurt Busch suffered a concussion from a crash in qualifying. Gibbs didn’t know he was going to be in the car until late Saturday night, which led to a 1 a.m. simulator session and a need to get fitted in the seat the morning of the race.

“It’s definitely been a long last year, for sure,” Gibbs said Saturday afternoon. “It’s been really cool; I’ve had great experiences. Being able to make my Cup start a year ago this weekend is really special to me.

“As I’ve always said, appreciate Denny and Michael for the opportunity and all the experience I had last year. It’s crazy where time takes you.”

Gibbs is now a full-time rookie in the Cup Series with Joe Gibbs Racing. In making his return to Pocono, he did think about the frantic preparation ahead of making his debut.

“Rolling into the track, I remember coming in last year and going to get my seat ready early in the morning (and) stuff like that,” Gibbs said. “It was a scramble last year, but everybody at 23XI did a great job, and the people around me did a fantastic job, so it was actually pretty easy.”

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The leading rookie of the year candidate is also in contention for a playoff spot. Gibbs is 41 points below the playoff grid cutline going into Sunday’s race (2:30 p.m. ET).

He can’t deny his rise has come fast.

“God has put me on a crazy plan and it’s been really fun, and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it…” he said. “The highs and the lows. It’s been crazy, and I’ve been very thankful for the experience I’ve had and the times I’ve had. I’m very blessed, so I have to keep working hard and enjoy my time here.”

Pocono was the first of what became 15 starts for Gibbs last season as he pulled double duty through the end of the year. He earned his first top-10 finish in Michigan and has six top-10 finishes through the first 20 races of 2023.

Gibbs came into the year embracing the challenge of being a rookie, despite the experience he got last year. There is only one chance to be a Cup Series rookie — as he well knows — plus there was the challenge of learning a brand new race car. Halfway through the season, he’s still having fun, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

“I, for sure, want to be a way better driver than I am and I definitely want to be winning races,” Gibbs said. “It’s definitely hard sometimes, but then you just relax and know you’re a rookie, and usually, it takes some of these guys a little bit to get going, so you have to know going from Xfinity to Cup is really hard.

“You just have to work hard and not focus on anybody else and keep racing and doing the best you can, and see where time takes you.”
At least now somebody knows I can do more that drive Logano's tow truck!

 

Hamlin ruffles Larson's and fans' feathers and pulls out a handful en route to Pocono win

Ben Earp/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service This Bud's for you...dickweed ! We are farting sawdust again. Gotta get that fixed.| July 23, 2023 8:15 PM ET

Denny Hamlin prevailed in a tight door-to-door bump-and-go pass on Kyle Larson with seven laps remaining to claim a historic all-time best seventh NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway – the win in Sunday’s HighPoint.com 400 also marking Hamlin’s 50th career trophy and second of the 2023 season.

The race ended under caution for a last lap incident elsewhere on track, and the Pocono crowd voiced its displeasure, booing loudly as Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led the field to pit road at the 2.5-mile track after the checkered flag. Hamlin, 42, maintained the action was just close-quarter racing for a win. Larson, who finished 21st after the contact, disagreed and was none too happy with his good friend and golf partner. "next time I see him, I'm bending a golf club over his head.

“Both guys wrecked themselves,’’ Hamlin said of Larson and contact he had earlier with Larson’s teammate Alex Bowman. “There was a lane. He (Larson) missed the corner first and evidently didn’t have his right side tires clean and when he gassed up and got going again, you have an option in those positions to either hold it wide open and hit the fence or lift and race it out.

“Those were choices they made. I didn’t hit either one of them. Didn’t touch them.’’

“I love it, I love it,’’ Hamlin said, acknowledging the boos. You got the boos and I got the cash!

“I thought we had the best car and the strategy worked out. Just so happy we’re winning these races we should win.’’


Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, did not mince words after climbing out of his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Instead of a top-5 finish – or possible victory – he recovered from the incident to cross the finish line 21st.

“First off, really proud of my team, they got us in position to race for the win,’’ said Larson, who did earn the Stage 2 win – his third of the year. “We got spun early (in the race) and the car was never really the same after that, but we played the strategy really well to get us up there. Just unfortunate.

“I’ve been cost a lot of good finishes by him throughout my career, and I know he says that I race a certain way, but I don’t think I’ve ever had to apologize to him about anything, not that I’m sure he’ll say, ‘I’m sorry,’ after this but it is what it is.

“Just move on and try to go to Richmond, where we won earlier this year.

“It is what it is. Yeah, we’re friends. Yes, this makes things awkward. But he’s always right. All the buddies know, Denny’s always right. It is what it is. I’m not gonna let it tarnish our friendship off track. But I am (mad), and I feel like I should be (mad).

“I think at this point I have the right,’’ Larson said of potentially racing Hamlin differently on track going forward. “Like I’ve said, I’ve never had to apologize to him about anything I’ve done on the racetrack. I can count four or five times where he’s had to reach out to me and say, ‘Sorry, I’ve put you in a bad spot there. It was called the wall, stupid s***. Just like that S.O.B. Dale Earnhardt used to do. So eventually, like he says, you have to start racing people a certain way to get the respect back.’’

Hamlin earned Toyota its 600th career win in the three NASCAR national series combined and led his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. across the finish line. Tyler Reddick, who drives for the 23XI Racing Toyota team that Hamlin is part-owner of, finished third. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick and the remaining two JGR cars of rookie Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell rounded out the top six.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Harrison Burton and Hendrick’s Chase Elliott rounded out the top 10. It marked the second top-10 of the season for the 22 year old Burton. The effort from Elliott leaves him 59-points out of the 16-driver playoff pool with five more regular season races remaining for the 2020 series champion to race for another trophy, after missing six races in 2023.

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Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, the race polesitter William Byron, led the most laps (60) of the day, but finished 24th. He now trails Truex by 30 points for the regular season title.

Varying pit strategies – and in particular on the final green flag run – changed the leaderboard in the last 30-40 laps of the race. Some drivers that hadn’t run top five all day postponed their last stop hoping for a caution flag. However, the day’s strongest cars were in position to settle the trophy; some – such as Larson and Hamlin – on a two-tire pit stop and some – such as Truex and Byron – with four fresh tires.

There were 11 cautions on the day and incidents on three consecutive restarts after the first stage break impacted the playoff situations of multiple drivers.

The first re-start following the stage break not only involved the stage winner Joey Logano, but also collected Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez who went into the race a mere one point behind Michael McDowell for that 16th and final playoff position. McDowell’s car suffered some damage too, but he was able to drive on. Logano’s No. 22 Penske Racing Ford was towed back and repaired but Suarez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet pit needing extensive work and ultimately drove back to the garage.

With five races remaining, Suarez dropped to 18th in the championship standings and his deficit to 16th place McDowell now stands at 23 points..

“At the end of the day it’s our fault; we shouldn’t be back there with those guys, squirrels,’’ a frustrated Suarez said, adding, “It was a racing incident, but we shouldn’t be racing those guys. We can only control what we can control.
We should just put them in the wall and forget it.”

 

Denny Hamlin brushes by Larson, scores 50th Cup Series win at Pocono

Hamlin brushes by Larson, scores 50th Cup Series win at Pocono
Denny Hamlin prevailed in a tight door-to-door, bump-and-go pass on Kyle Larson with seven laps remaining to claim a historic all-time-best seventh NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono Raceway – the win in Sunday’s HighPoint.com 400 also marking Hamlin’s 50th career Cup trophy [...]


By Holly Cain



NASCAR Wire Service

Published: 19 hours ago

5 Minute Read

Denny Hamlin prevailed in a tight door-to-door, bump-and-go pass on Kyle Larson with seven laps remaining to claim a historic all-time-best seventh NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono Raceway – the win in Sunday’s HighPoint.com 400 also marking Hamlin’s 50th career Cup trophy and second of the 2023 season.

The race ended under caution for a last-lap incident elsewhere on track, and the Pocono crowd voiced its displeasure, booing loudly as Hamlin celebrated after exiting his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the 2.5-mile track’s frontstretch after the checkered flag. Hamlin, 42, maintained the action was just close-quarters racing for a win. Larson, who finished 20th after the contact, disagreed and was none too happy with his good friend and golf partner.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos: Pocono

“Both guys wrecked themselves,” Hamlin said of his run-in with Larson and an earlier brush with Larson teammate Alex Bowman. “There was a lane. He [Larson] missed the corner first and evidently didn’t have his right-side tires clean, and when he gassed up and got going again, you have an option in those positions to either hold it wide open and hit the fence or lift and race it out. Those were choices they made. I didn’t hit either one of them. Didn’t touch them.

“I love it, I love it,” Hamlin added, acknowledging the boos. “I thought we had the best car, and the strategy worked out. Just so happy we’re winning these races we should win.”

Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, did not mince words after climbing out of his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Instead of a top-five finish – or a possible victory – he recovered from the incident to cross the finish line near midpack.
Related Story
Kyle Larson gets short end of late-race contact with Hamlin at Pocono “First off, really proud of my team, they got us in position to race for the win,” said Larson, who led 24 laps and earned the Stage 2 win – his third of the year. “We got spun early [in the race], and the car was never really the same after that, but we played the strategy really well to get us up there. Just unfortunate.

WATCH: Larson discusses Pocono finish, voices frustration

“I’ve been cost a lot of good finishes by him throughout my career, and I know he says that I race a certain way, but I don’t think I’ve ever had to apologize to him about anything, not that I’m sure he’ll say ‘I’m sorry’ after this, but it is what it is. Just move on and try to go to Richmond, where we won earlier this year. It is what it is. Yeah, we’re friends. Yes, this makes things awkward. But he’s always right. All the buddies know Denny’s always right. It is what it is. I’m not gonna let it tarnish our friendship off track. But I am pissed, and I feel like I should be pissed.

“I think at this point I have the right,” Larson said of potentially racing Hamlin differently on track going forward. “Like I’ve said, I’ve never had to apologize to him about anything I’ve done on the race track. I can count four or five times where he’s had to reach out to me and say, ‘Sorry I’ve put you in a bad spot there.’ So eventually, like he says, you have to start racing people a certain way to get the respect back.”

Hamlin earned Toyota its 600th career win in the three NASCAR national series combined. Tyler Reddick, who drives for the 23XI Racing Toyota team co-owned by Hamlin, finished second, with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. coming across the finish line third. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick and the remaining two JGR cars of rookie Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell rounded out the top six. Gibbs’ fifth-place result marked a career-best.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Harrison Burton and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott rounded out the top 10. It marked the second top-10 of the season for the 22-year-old Burton. And the effort from Elliott leaves him 59 points out of the 16-driver playoff pool, with five more regular-season races remaining for the 2020 series champion to race for another trophy after missing six races in 2023.

Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, polesitter William Byron, led the most laps (60) of the day but finished 24th. He now trails Truex by 31 points for the regular-season title.

Varying pit strategies – and in particular on the final green-flag run – changed the leaderboard in the last 30-40 laps of the race. Some drivers who hadn’t run top five all day postponed their last stop, hoping for a caution flag. However, the day’s strongest cars were in position to settle the trophy, with some – such as Larson and Hamlin – on a two-tire pit stop and some – such as Truex and Byron – with four fresh tires.

There were 11 cautions on the day, and incidents on three consecutive restarts after the Stage 1 break impacted the playoff situations of multiple drivers.

The first restart after the stage break not only involved the Stage 1 winner Joey Logano but also collected Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez, who went into the race a single point behind Michael McDowell for the provisional 16th and final playoff position. Suárez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Chevy made just one additional lap but was too damaged to continue. He finished last in the 36-car field. Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford was flagged off the track for failing to meet the minimum-speed requirement, and he finished 35th after completing just 48 laps.

MORE: Suárez, Logano exit early at Pocono

With five regular-season races remaining, Suarez dropped to 18th in the championship standings and his deficit to 16th-place McDowell now stands at 23 points.

“At the end of the day, it’s our fault we shouldn’t be back there with those guys, squirrels,” a frustrated Suarez said, adding, “It was a racing incident, but we shouldn’t be racing those guys. We can only control what we can control.”

Austin Dillon was involved in a pair of incidents in Turn 1, brushing the outside wall on Lap 42 and then smashing into it on Lap 106 after tangling with Reddick. After a nudge from Reddick’s No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet made heavy contact with the barrier.

Dillon exited his car unhurt, then threw his helmet at the No. 45 car of Reddick, who was his Cup Series teammate at RCR from 2020-22.

RELATED: A.Dillon irate after Stage 3 crash

The Cup Series’ next race is the Cook Out 400, scheduled next Sunday, July 30 (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) at Richmond Raceway. Kevin Harvick is the defending race winner. Kyle Larson won at Richmond this spring.

Note: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage at Pocono concluded without issue, confirming Hamlin as the race winner. The Nos. 4 and 19 will return to the R&D Center for further inspection, while the No. 47 will return to Concord, North Carolina, for a wind tunnel test.

 

Kyle Larson gets short end of late-race contact with Hamlin at Pocono

By Zach Sturniolo



NASCAR.com

Published: 19 hours ago

4 Minute Read

LONG POND, Pa. – Kyle Larson’s rebound from an early spin went for naught Sunday at Pocono Raceway after an unfriendly push up the track sent him from second to a 20th-place finish in the HighPoint.com 400.

Despite a Lap 46 slide, Larson found himself on the outside of the front row on a restart with eight laps remaining. A shove from Denny Hamlin launched Larson to the lead entering Turn 1, but Hamlin dove to Larson’s left on corner entry and drew alongside the No. 5 Chevrolet.

Hamlin drifted high on corner exit, forcing Larson wide – with apparent slight door-to-door contact – and into the outside SAFER barrier on the Long Pond Straightaway.

When the yellow flag flew for Justin Haley’s crash in the next corner, Larson pulled up alongside Hamlin’s car and brushed him on the frontstretch as the field slowed.

Hamlin went on to score a record seventh Pocono victory, his 50th career win and the 600th national series triumph for Toyota. Larson was relegated to a 20th-place finish.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Pocono

The move was eerily similar to the move Hamlin used on Ross Chastain at the 2.5-mile triangular track one year ago, when Chastain slammed the wall, spun and exited the race prematurely in 2022. Larson was plenty conscious of that going into Turn 1.

“I was nervous of the move that happened because he made it work on Ross last year and he dirtied him up,” Larson said. “He knows and Ross deserved it last year for all the times that he got into Denny.

“I felt like I didn’t. I deserved to be raced with respect at least through Turn 1. But he knew that was gonna be his only opportunity to beat me with how bad dirty air was. So I got used up.”

Hamlin, on the other hand, believed his car never touched Larson’s and simply forced the 2021 Cup champion into a choice.

“How can you wreck someone you don’t touch?” Hamlin said. “They make a decision to either let off the gas and race side-by-side, or hit the gas and hit the wall. I mean, I put them to those decisions. I didn’t overshoot the corner. I was behind them. I tried to get position on them. I knew it was going to be tight off of two, but always made sure I left a lane or more – more than a lane.

“These Next Gen cars, for whatever reason, you get in that spot near the car on the outside, it sends them very tight. It just tightens their aero balance. Everyone knows it. You know, Kyle is one of the best aero blockers in our field. I knew once he got the lead and it was green, there’s just no way I was gonna go around him and so I just backed off and just waited and tried not to burn up my (expletive) for a restart later because he knows how to put you in a situation to just kill your car.”

This isn’t the first time Larson and Hamlin have battled one-on-one for the win. In May, the duo fought for the victory at Kansas Speedway – which resulted in contact from Hamlin that sent Larson into the wall.

The two are friends off-track, but Larson’s frustration lingered longer Sunday afternoon.

“We’ve had a handful of run-ins. I’ve never had to reach out to apologize,” Larson said. “He’s always been the one that’s reached out to me and been like, ‘Hey, man, sorry. You know, I messed up there a little bit or sorry I put you in a bad spot, whatever. Sorry I hurt your day.’ I’ve never had to do that to him.

“Sure, maybe there’s been times where he’s been frustrated with me. But I’ve never hurt his results. You know, I should have at least been top two. I finished (20th). In my eyes, I mean, hey, I could have 10 more playoff points, two more wins right now if not for the 11. So yeah, I’m pissed. I should be.”

Hamlin disagreed that the two have had “run-ins,” but acknowledged past incidents where they’ve collided.

“I got in the back of him at Atlanta (in 2022) trying to push him,” Hamlin said. “That’s in a draft. We’re drafting. So that was a draft gone bad. And then like once again, we’re racing for the win at Kansas and he gets in the fence, comes off the fence and I tagged him in the left rear.

“I mean, I get it. I know (where) you guys are trying to go with this. But you know, I’ve been on the (bad) end of so many of these results. And when it comes to getting (win No.) 50 for me, 600 for Toyota, I’m going to make sure that I drive as hard as I possibly can – and respectful. That’s why I left him more than a lane off the Turn 2.”

But asked if he raced Larson with respect at Pocono, Hamlin was incredulous.

“We’re racing for the win. Are you (kidding) me?” he said. “For sure, I mean, if I’m gonna give anyone in the field respect, it’s Kyle Larson just because I respect him as a race car driver and I think he’s probably the best. So certainly, he’s got my respect, but damn, I mean, we’re all racing for a win and I guarantee you, roles reversed, it goes the same way.”

Still, Larson doesn’t anticipate much change in their relationship, noting Hamlin “races me like a (jerk)” but that he’s still a friend and separates what happens on-track from off-track life well. But he admitted he’s unsure when enough is enough.

“As we’ve all heard him say, eventually he has to race a certain way to get some respect back,” Larson said. “I’m an aggressive racer, I get it. But I tend to race my friends with more respect. But I just feel like I haven’t gotten that respect from him, especially this year.”

 

Austin Dillon cry baby punk, crashes out at Pocono, throws helmet toward Reddick’s car

By Staff Report



NASCAR.com

Published: 20 hours ago

3 Minute Read

Austin Dillon exited Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race after a heavy final-stage crash at Pocono Raceway, showing his displeasure with former teammate Tyler Reddick by throwing his helmet toward his car.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos: Pocono

Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was nudged into a spin after contact with the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota of Reddick entering Turn 1 in the 106th of 160 laps in Sunday’s HighPoint.com 400. Dillon’s No. 3 Chevy careened into the outside retaining wall and skidded to a stop on the apron.

After Dillon was evaluated and released from the infield care center, he said that Reddick’s car drifted up into his rather than him cutting down on Reddick.

“I’m pissed about it because from my perspective, I couldn’t see him,” said Dillon, who finished 34th in the 36-car field. “I know I was three-wide, but my left-front (tire)’s in front of him. That’s the bigger thing. I’m in front of him, so I didn’t come down egregiously. He drove into the corner deep enough to try and get me back, like to get his right-front in front of my left-front. That was not possible with how I drove in the corner, and he wiped me out at the fastest part of the track.”

After the crash, Dillon lowered his window net to indicate to safety officials that he was not seriously hurt. The 33-year-old driver then walked toward the racing surface and hurled his helmet at Reddick’s No. 45 during the caution period.

WATCH: Dillon throws helmet on the track

He said during his interview that he should have had better aim as his helmet sailed wide.

“I was just trying to hit him,” Dillon said. “I’m pissed I didn’t lead it. They were going probably 65 (mph). If I would’ve started at the front of the car, I might’ve got him in the door.”

Reddick was a teammate to Dillon with Richard Childress’ team from 2020-22, and he joined 23XI Racing to start the season. Reddick drove away from the contact and finished second to fellow Toyota driver Denny Hamlin.

“First things first, I’m just glad he’s OK,” Reddick told NASCAR.com post-race. “Him and Brad (Keselowski) were on older tires, and I figured I’d take advantage of the momentum that I had and put them in a little three-wide. I was in the bottom lane, and he just tried to I think beat me in the corner a little bit and came down on myself. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late and the contact had already took place.”

Dillon had been involved in an earlier incident in Turn 1, continuing after slight rear-end contact on the 42nd lap.

Reddick said post-race that he imagined that Dillon had texted him to initiate a conversation about the contact, adding that “it’s always better probably to talk after we’ve had some time to reflect on it.” After his check at the care center, Dillon said having a conversation wasn’t part of his plan.

“No, I just need to start wrecking some people,” Dillon said.

 

'I got used up' Larson says of Hamlin's 'dirty' move at Pocono

Gavin Baker/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Kelly Crandall | July 23, 2023 7:17 PM ET

Kyle Larson felt he was “used up” by Denny Hamlin as it was the only way the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was going to beat him Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

“He gave me a real push down the frontstretch and I was nervous of the move that happened because he made it work on Ross (Chastain) last year, and he dirtied him up,” Larson said. “He knows (he did), and Ross deserved it last year for all those times he got into Denny. I felt like I didn’t. I deserved to be raced with respect, at least through Turn 1, but he knew that was going to be his only opportunity to beat me with how bad dirty (it) was.

“I got used up. It’s just unfortunate. I feel like we’ve had a handful of run-ins; I’ve never had to reach out to apologize. He’s always been the one that’s reached out to me and been like, ‘Hey man, I’m sorry. I messed up there a little bit,’ or ‘Sorry, I put you in a bad spot,’ or ‘Sorry, I hurt your day.’ I’ve never had to do that to him. Sure, maybe there’s been times he’s been frustrated with me, but I’ve never hurt his results. I should have at least been top two; I finished 21st.”

Larson and Hamlin were racing tight off Turn 1 on a restart with seven laps to go. The two went up the track coming off the corner with Larson running out of room on the outside lane and hitting the wall. Hamlin went by into the race lead.

A caution for an unrelated incident quickly followed. Under the yellow flag, Larson drove up alongside Hamlin on the frontstretch and hit Hamlin in the driver’s side door.

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“In my eyes, hey, I could have 10 more playoff points, two more wins right now if not for (Hamlin),” Larson said. “Yeah, I’m (mad) and I should be.”

Larson missed out on a win at Kansas Speedway earlier this year in a battle with Hamlin. On the last lap, the No. 11 ran up on the back of Larson off Turn 2 and the Hendrick car hit the wall. But Larson said that situation, unlike Pocono, was more a racing deal.

“I would have loved to have got to racing him through (Turns) 3 and 4 there,” Larson said. “Today, I didn’t even get to race him. He ran into him before I ever hit the wall. And we all know the aero stuff that goes on when somebody gets that close to you. His hood flaps were up. He was touching me before we ever got to the exit.

“I obviously lost the handle on my car, was out of the throttle, and hit the wall and tore up my car and finished 21st.”

Because the two are friends, Larson said things will be awkward, but what happens on the racetrack stays on the racetrack. He feels he does a good job of separating those two things.

“He’s still a friend,” Larson said. “He races me like an (expletive) but is still a friend. I’m just mad right now. I’m sure he’ll say some dumb stuff on Monday night or whatever, and I’ll get more mad for a little while and then I’ll eventually get over it.”