NASCAR News: Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson ‘Going To Wreck’ At Brickyard 400

The simmering rivalry between NASCAR drivers Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson reached another fervid peak during the recent Ally 400 race in Nashville. During the 399 miles of the event, neither driver spared room for each other, hinting at a thrilling continuation of their competitive streak through to the Brickyard 400 where they’re expected to ‘wreck’ at Turn 1.

During the “The Teardown” podcast episode by Dirty Mo Media, NASCAR experts Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi dissected the race’s highlight—both drivers at the frontline in an overtime restart. Gluck expressed disappointment that Hamlin’s temper might have prevented a fiercer showdown.

“So I mentioned Hamlin and Larson, obviously they had a little thing again. Actually, it looked like, when they lined up on the front row, one of those overtimes, I was like, ‘Man, they’re both not going to finish this race.’

“I thought they might take each other out. I would’ve liked to see them race it out, because I think that would’ve been another chapter of their rivalry. But even so, Hamlin lost his cool there, and wanted to bump him or something afterwards.”

Bianchi championed the benefits of such high-profile rivalries for the sport, articulating a vibrant picture of what their competition brings to the table.

“I think it’s fantastic. I think NASCAR needs this. NASCAR is better when it has great rivalries… This is the best thing, and this is what you need,” Bianchi praised. “You look at the history of NASCAR, it has thrived when you’ve had two drivers, competing for wins on the regular, being the best, competing for the championship, and they are slugging it out. Whether it was Petty versus Pearson, or Earnhardt versus everybody, Earnhardt versus Gordon.

“This is the best thing, and this is what you need. You’ve got two of NASCAR’s most recognizable names, across the spectrum, and you’ve got arguably the best all-around driver in Kyle Larson. You’ve got Denny Hamlin, who’s very much embracing the black hat, and willing to be that villain, and Larson is very much the man of the people, and people are really supporting him. This is what you need. This is picture-perfect.

“Plus, you’ve got Chevy versus Toyota. You’ve got two of NASCAR’s top teams, who are competing for supremacy. This is everything that you want. All of the juicy storylines that you want, you look at it and say, you want to sell NASCAR, you want to make NASCAR resonate with the casual fan, or maybe non-casual fan, have these guys, two great drivers, Hall of Famers, all-time greats go at it, hell yeah, this is what you want. If you’re NASCAR, you’re wanting this. You’re rooting for this to happen.”

Adding a layer to this dynamic between the drivers, the personal relationship between Hamlin and Larson isn’t an unheard-of phenomenon. Having a history of friendship, both drivers have a level of respect for each other when they get out of the car—mirroring historical NASCAR rivalries that thrived without personal animosity.

“You don’t need to hate someone in a rivalry… Rivalries can just be two greats going at it, competing for wins, and I think that you can have a mutual respect rivalry. … There is a friendship there.”

Of course, the influence of their rivalry is poised to be a talking point as the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series progresses, and Bianchi questions whether the friendship he sees at this point in time will continue.

“Whether that friendship is going to remain as strong as it once was, who knows, but at least there’s an underlying friendship there, to kind of help offset any bad blood, where we’ve had rivalries in this sport where two guys just don’t like each other, on the track, off the track, and it’s manifested in a much different way.”

Gluck expects the upcoming Brickyard 400 to act as the backdrop for yet another strong race between the two drivers:

“I can totally imagine, the Brickyard 400 is probably going to come down to these two guys. Late race restart, pinching each other down going into Turn 1. They’re going to wreck, and third place is going to win or whatever.”

We’ll have to wait and see what the Indianapolis Motor Speedway brings.