Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin called out Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar for the second time this season. Previously, Hamlin criticized Hocevar’s driving style at EchoPark Speedway. Now he has criticized the #77 Chevy driver’s late restart move at Martinsville Speedway, which led to Bubba Wallace facing backlash on social media.
During the episode, Hamlin talked about the incident that happened on the lap 324 restart during Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at the 0.526-mile track. The JGR driver pointed out that the field was tightly packed following the restart. While everyone was going easy on acceleration, Hocevar decided to go three-wide to move up. The Chevy driver dove hard into the bottom, whereas the drivers around him were waiting for the right opportunity.
Thanks for the submission!
Speaking on the same, Denny Hamlin revealed that the Spire Motorsports driver’s attempt to go three-wide was not illegal, but it was “d*** move.” He further stated:
“That and it’s typically a d*** move if everyone’s restarting into Turn 1… On a restart, everyone’s got to check up for the corner. If you’re in Row 8, you’re checking up for the entry of one sooner than you normally would. …Carson’s says I’m going to go three-wide on a restart in Martinsville to the bottom.”
“It’s not illegal; it’s just a d*** move. He was trying to take advantage of the guys that were checking up for the corner, and Bubba didn’t like it. He says, ‘I’m going to run into your a**.’ He ran into his a** and wrecked himself,” he added.
A few moments later, Bubba Wallace made contact with Carson Hocevar and Hocevar. This led to a massive wreck on the 0.526-mile track, leading to a backlash for the 23XI Racing driver. Wallace’s day ended early, and he fell eight spots in the standings. However, the #23 Toyota Camry XSE driver addressed the incident and revealed it was not intentional but a misjudgment.
“We gave it our all”: Denny Hamlin candidly reacted to the Martinsville Speedway run
NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin fell a few seconds short of his 62nd career victory. He competed in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, and Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott’s pit stop strategy outperformed the JGR driver in the final stage.
The #11 Toyota driver was fastest on the grid from the qualifying session. He began the race from pole position and, following the good pace, won both stages one and two. However, the final-stage pit stop changed the outcome for the JGR driver. Elliott made two pit stops in the final stage and claimed the lead.
The HMS driver successfully converted the lead into his first victory of the season. He led the remaining 69 laps and crossed the finish line 0.565 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin. Recalling his Martinsville run, Hamlin told the press:
“No, he did a good job. Control the pace there; it just really came from that bad restart at the start of the one, so not much, really, I could have done there, and I felt like we gave it our all.”
Chase Elliott’s victory marked his second triumph at Martinsville Speedway. While Hendrick Motorsports marked the team’s 31st win at the 0.526-mile track. On the other hand, Denny Hamlin wrapped the 400-lap race as the runner-up.
Edited by Karan Yadav
