Denny Hamlin calls out 23XI, Bubba Wallace for New Hampshire performance fueling unfortunate Kansas fallout

Denny Hamlin did not hold back his thoughts on why Bubba Wallace and his team are blelow the playoff cut line after not getting a win at Kansas on Sunday. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said Wallace’s performance at New Hampshire led to the fallout at Kansas Speedway.

“I want to be sympathetic, and I am sympathetic,” Denny Hamlin said. “I hate that the 23 (Wallace) is below the cut, but 23XI ran like dogs**t at f***ing New Hampshire. That’s why they’re below the cut. I hate that for the drivers, because the drivers unfortunately had to drive that.

“Bubba’s turnaround over the last years has just been… I can’t beleive it, truthfully. The maturity that he has shown, he’s been the lead car at 23XI, really the entire year. I think the 45 (Tyler Reddick) might have them on average finish, because he doesn’t have as many DNFs. But the 23 has been the fastest freaking car we’ve got. I can’t beleive it.”

Hamlin, the co-owner of 23XI Racing, battled Wallace for the lead during the final lap of overtime at Kansas. The three-time Daytona 500 winner contacted Bubba Wallace, which led to Chase Elliott passing both of them and earning the win. Hamlin missed out on winning his 60th Cup Series race, and Wallace fell short of clinching a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 8.

Denny Hamlin won’t apologize for how he raced Bubba Wallace

On the podcast, Hamlin said he’s not apologizing for how he raced on Sunday. “Because I’m racing for the win, and I definitely won’t apologize for racing for the win,” Hamlin said. “… On Sunday, I am the driver. The person in the 11 car is the driver. That’s where the disconnect, I think, comes from is that people expect me to be a different person, they expect me to be the guy with a 23XI shirt on when I’m in the 11 car, and that’s just not possible.”

“I have zero doubts in my mind — I know because I know where my mind was in that moment — is that I was racing the 23, the exact same as I would race anybody in that moment. Truthfully, I would have raced my teammates the same way.”

Hamlin drives for Joe Gibbs Racing and is looking to win his first Cup Series title. He is currently 48 points above the playoff cut line heading into the final race of the Round of 12. Wallace is 26 points below the cut line, meaning he will need to win the race at the Charlotte Roval on Sunday to avoid elimination.