Denny Hamlin fires back at fans calling him out for wrecking Ty Gibbs on purpose: 'Wish I was that good'

Denny Hamlin had a message for the fans who believe that he wrecked Ty Gibbs on purpose when the two were racing at New Hampshire. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said he wished he had the talent to intentionally wreck a driver.

“You can see that we were making contact when he pulled down to the middle lane right in front of me,” Denny Hamlin said. “We were already together, like it took nothing. And no, I wish I was that good. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t have wrecked Chase Elliott when I tried to move him up the racetrack back in 2017. It all depends on what point of the racetrack you’re at.”

Hamlin then said there are different variables when it comes to hitting someone at a point where they’re “on edge or not.” Before Hamlin’s message to the fans, he explained what happened with the incident with Ty Gibbs.

Denny Hamlin reveals he did not intentionally spin out Ty Gibbs

“I was pretty much there into Turn 1, and then he moved down to the middle lane to cut the nose off,” Hamlin said. “If you cut across someone’s nose, especially if they’re running really close to you, it will make their car kind of lift up and take off. I think he was just trying to cut across my nose to make me lose air, just to aero block me. I was so close to him, I’m like, ‘Hell no. You’re not going to do that.’I tried to shove him up to the net lane to get my position. Unfortunately, it spun him out.”

Hamlin and Gibbs were battling for 11th during Lap 110 of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at New Hampshire before the wreck. And since it was the Round of 12 opener, it was important for Hamlin, who is in the playoffs, to have a strong finish to make sure he stays above the cut line.

After the incident, Hamlin and Gibbs aired out their frustrations to their team members via radio. What makes this interesting is that the two drivers are teammates, as they race for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). Ultimately, Hamlin didn’t understand why Gibbs was racing hard since he is not in the playoffs. Hamlin believed that since Gibbs is not competing for a title, he would help his teammate have a strong finish so a JGR member would have a chance to win a championship.