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Kyle Larson surprisingly admits “stupid and aggressive” incident with Denny Hamlin

Theo

Kyle Larson reflected on a maneuver he made against Denny Hamlin during last week’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Nashville. While speaking with reporters before the Chicago Street Race, Larson was asked by Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass if he was intentionally aggressive on the restart during the first overtime period since Hamlin was on the front row.

“I don’t know. I mean, I’m not sure because I didn’t have anybody in front of me who knew how I would have driven,” Larson said. “I ultimately knew that I would need clean air in front of me, no matter who was in front of me. But yeah, I guess maybe I was less stupid and aggressive than I was. But you don’t really know until you’re put in the situation.”

Larson was on the second row behind Hamlin and Ross Chastain. On the restart, Larson battled with Hamlin for the lead, but his aggressiveness caused him to wreck Chastain, who finished 33rd. Larson took responsibility for the accident but stated he was doing what he could to win.

Kyle Larson says he always “enjoyed” racing Denny Hamlin

Larson and Hamlin have had their feuds in recent weeks, leading some to believe the two are arch rivals on the track. On Saturday, Larson spoke to reporters about why he’s ready to put his perceived rivalry with Hamlin behind him and get back to having fun racing against him.

“You just feel like you can trust the maneuvers that somebody’s going to make against you. I think that’s — when you know you can run a close race, you can trust what they’re going to do, that’s what I enjoy. Yeah, I always enjoyed racing against him until, I guess, the middle of last year. But no, I’m sure we can get back to that point, and we’ve enjoyed racing each other since Pocono,” Larson told NBC’s Dustin Long. “There were just a couple of incidents where I felt like I just ran out of space in a situation more than somebody else would. But yeah, I think that can be called racing sometimes.”

Both Larson and Hamlin have secured their spots in the playoffs after each winning three Cup Series races this year. Larson is looking to win his second Cup Series title after his victory in 2021. Hamlin, who has won the Daytona 500 three times, is looking to win his first Cup Series title.

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