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Kyle Larson clarifies statements after latest run-in with Denny Hamlin

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra07/06/24SamraSource
Kyle Larson
Apr 2, 2023; Richmond, Virginia, USA; Kyle Larson (5) reacts with fans before the race during the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Larson isn’t ready to become a full-blown rival with Denny Hamlin. The former NASCAR Cup Series champion simply wants some respect from the No. 11.

It seems like every week these two have been getting into it on the track, and last weekend’s race at Nashville Superspeedway was no different. That had fans and media members alike coining the beef between Larson and Hamlin a rivalry, but the Hendrick Motorsports star is saying not so fast.

Speaking with the media ahead of Sunday’s race in Chicago, Larson explained why he’s ready to move on from his perceived rivalry with Hamlin, and get back to having fun racing against one of the best in the sport.

“Just feeling like you can trust the moves that somebody is going to make on you. I feel like that’s — when you know, you can have close racing, you can have trust in what they’re going to do, I think that’s fun, to me. Yeah, I’ve always enjoyed racing him a lot, before I guess the middle of last year. But no, I’m sure we can get back to that point, and we’ve had fun racing each other since Pocono,” Larson told Dustin Long of NBC. “There’s just been a few incidents where I feel like I’ve just been ran out of space a little more than somebody else would put me in, in a situation. But yeah, I guess that can be considered racing sometimes.”

Prior to some incidents over the last year, Larson and Hamlin were actually very friendly, and they’ve even traveled together for certain races. However, the No. 5 wheelman hit his breaking point in Nashville, but he hasn’t been pushed to the point of no return by Hamlin, at least not at the moment.

“Where I’m at I think, you know, Nashville’s is really the first time that I’ve got to, you know, I feel like in my mind, show that I’m over it,” Larson said earlier this week, via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “Or like over the way that I’ve been raced. Now going forward I think I’m ready to move on, I’ve got zero issue at this point. I would like a little bit of respect on the race track and a little bit more room than maybe I’ve been given. 

“Yeah, I think if we do that we can go back to racing fair and challenging each other fairly for wins. … I think that we are the two top teams in the sport right now so we’re going to be battling for a lot more wins together and all that throughout the races and all that. So, I’ve enjoyed racing him in the past, it’s just we’ve had a few run-ins. Like I said, I’m ready to just move on and go back to having fun racing each other. Nashville is what it is and like I said, ready to move on.” 

Will Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin be able to move on? That remains to be seen, but another chapter in their beef could be written in Chicago. It’s up to these two talented wheelmen to move past their anger and cultivate a better future on the track.