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Bubba Wallace appears to flip off team owner Denny Hamlin after Chase Elliott wins at Kansas

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp09/28/25
Bubba Wallace
Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

An intense finish at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday brought out some intense emotions from several drivers. Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin chief among them.

Wallace and Hamlin were racing for the lead in the overtime segment when Hamlin tried to pass Wallace to the inside. He got a little wobbly and hit Wallace, sending Wallace into the outside wall.

That allowed Chase Briscoe to cut to the bottom lane, where he doored Hamlin and then shot forward into the lead as the finish line fast approached. He would seal the deal for the win, leaving Wallace -26 points below the playoff cut line when a win had been in sight.

Bubba Wallace was heated after the race, even before he exited the car. He appeared to throw up a middle finger out of his driver’s side window to Hamlin, via a still screenshot from journalist Noah Lewis.

Even after the race, Bubba Wallace seemed to be doing his best not to explode with rage. He slyly worded things such that he wasn’t directly calling out Hamlin, but his intent seemed clear enough.

“To even have a shot at the win with the way we started… We were not good,” Wallace said. “I really appreciate the team. Two years ago, I would say something dumb, [Hamlin] is a dumbass for that move, for sure. I don’t care if he’s my boss or not. But we were going for the win.

“I hate that we gave it to Chevrolet there. Toyotas were super fast and proud to be driving one. I thought it was meant to be, and then it wasn’t.”

For his part, Hamlin seemed upset with himself for several things on Sunday. He had a great car capable of winning but had to muscle his car around the track after losing power steering.

Ultimately, that likely played into the contact with Bubba Wallace, but Hamlin didn’t make excuses after the race. Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see how the two — with a teammate/owner relationship to navigate — carry on going forward.