Denny Hamlin sets record directly to critics for grabbing Ross Chastain by the shoulder after Charlotte incident

Joe Gibbs racing driver Denny Hamlin recently took to critics for grabbing trackhouse racing driver Ross Chastain by his shoulder. During the last episode of Harmful actions A YouTube podcast, Hamlin spoke about the post-race interaction with Chastain.

The Bank of America Roval 400 took place on Sunday, October 5, 2025 at Charlotte Roval, and the dirt track driver made an aggressive move on the final lap of the race and collected the JGR driver as a result. The move sabotaged the driver of the No. 1 Chevy Camaro ZL1’s chances of advancing, allowing Joey Logano to secure his spot. After that, during a post-race interaction, Denny Hamlin went to talk with Chastain about making things right with him.

Hamlin claimed it as a “moment of growth” and didn’t want to “let it fester.” Reflecting on the incident, critics accused the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver of overreacting. But the JGR driver set the record straight for the critics and said [00:33]:

“For those mentioning who think I’m crazy when people do it to me but not when I do it, shut up. I take it like a man when I’m devastated. I wish I was in this place? No. Can we as a team stop it? Maybe, maybe. I just wanted to have a real, honest conversation.”

Denny Hamlin finished the 248.52-mile race outside the top-20 drivers in P23; Meanwhile, Ross Chastain finished the Charlotte Roval race in P21. On the other hand, Joey Logano ended the 109-lap race in P20, securing the final spot for the eight playoffs.

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“11 teams deserved this race”: Denny Hamlin addresses criticism after Kansas Speedway race

Reflecting on Denny Hamlin’s bold and intimidating attitude, a fan criticized him about his time with 23xi Racing’s Bubba Wallace during Kansas Speedway. The incident occurred during the closing laps of the 273-lap race held on Sunday September 28, 2025.

The JGR driver had a successful qualifying session and started the race from P2. Soon, the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver took command of the race and dominated, leading 159 laps in the race. However, he failed to secure his sixth victory of the season at Kansas Speedway.

After the race’s final restart, Bubba Wallace had the lead, and Denny Hamlin charged him with everything he had. This led to the two Toyotas making contact and gave Hendrick Motorsport driver Chase Elliott a chance to sneak past and take the win. While thinking about the same, the fan said:

“I know a lot will evolve on how Bubba and Bell raced and how Denny raced Bubba is the same, and while I understand that, I think what Denny did was more careless. Without the power steering, I feel like Denny took it out, he took out his driver and maybe a boost.”

However, Denny Hamlin had a ready response for his critics and wrote:

“Give me a break. I was off the gas and on the brakes 100 years before the 23rd rolled around.

Denny Hamlin currently leads the Cup Series playoff points table with an eight-point lead above the cutoff line. He has five wins, 16 top finishes, 13 top five finishes and three posts in 31 starts this season.