Denny Hamlin addresses prospect of fallout from Toyota, 23XI after Bubba Wallace Kansas battle

Last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, there was Toyota on Toyota crime involving Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs. Sunday at Kansas Speedway, the Toyotas were at it again — this time, it was Hamlin and Bubba Wallace.

Hamlin made contact with Wallace, the race leader, on the final lap of overtime at Kansas after washing up the track. Wallace brushed the wall, and neither driver won the race. Chase Elliott did, driving past both coming off Turn 4. Wallace was upset with Hamlin after the race, flipping him in the middle finger.

There are some interesting dynamics at play here. Hamlin is co-owner of 23XI Racing and driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. Wallace’s boss is Hamlin. Could there be some fallout this week with either team and/or Toyota? Hamlin doesn’t believe so.

“I mean, there shouldn’t be,” Hamlin said on Monday’s Actions Detrimental podcast. “Why should there be? Should Toyotas be upset that their drivers were going for the win, or should they be upset that the second-place guy didn’t let the first-place guy go and win the race? … Everyone has a right to think their own possible way, but there’s nobody on that racetrack that would like to see the 23XI cars win more than me, I can assure you of that.

“I am the most biased driver on that track that will do whatever I can for the 23XI cars. But if it comes at compromising my chance to win, that’s too much to ask.”

Denny Hamlin: Nobody at 23XI should ‘question where my loyalty is’

Hamlin wanted this one bad. He led a race-high 159 laps, and he was looking for win No. 60 of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Hamlin was racing for the win and that, he won’t apologize for.

That being said, he called the situation “regretful.” He does not feel anyone at 23XI should question his loyalty.

“Again, it sucks. It sucks. It’s regretful,” Hamlin said. “I certainly believe that surely, I could have done something different. There’s nothing blinding obvious to me. I gave you the two examples of things 12 hours later, here’s what I think I could have done. But I had a second to think about it, and I did what I thought was right at the time and that was to try to win. Unfortunately, me or the 23 didn’t win.

“I don’t think anyone at 23XI should question where my loyalty is because I’m in that building a lot. Their success is my future, that is for sure.”