A fierce battle for sixth place nearly ended Denny Hamlin’s Michigan victory bid Sunday. The Joe Gibbs Racing star and Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson collided on Lap 58, triggering a furious radio outburst from Larson and a dramatic save from Hamlin.
While Hamlin ultimately won his 57th Cup Series race, Monday’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast featured an unexpected culprit for the near-wreck: himself.
Denny Hamlin Roasts His Defensive Skills After Kyle Larson’s Michigan Ambush
Larson’s expletive-filled radio call accused Hamlin of excessive mirror driving during their duel. “Look out the f***ing windshield, Denny, instead of the f***ing mirror,” Larson snapped after Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota slid up the track, squeezing the No. 5 Chevrolet toward the wall. Hamlin’s car snapped sideways before he recovered, falling to 11th.
But Hamlin flipped the narrative Monday on his podcast as his co-host, Jared, asked Hamlin, “Were you mirror driving the five [Larson]?” “Actually, it was quite the opposite,” Hamlin countered. “I did hear his radio when he was like, ‘Look out your front windshield, not your mirror.’ I’m actually one of the worst defenders in the series because I look out the window too much.”
He then admitted Larson’s aggressive move caught him unaware mid-corner. “The #5 just caught me by surprise. I didn’t know he was there until he was all the way there.”
The incident followed a Stage 2 restart where Hamlin lost momentum. “I just got passed by two cars that passed me on the bottom. So, at that point, I’m running the mid to high lane of Turns 1 and 2 anyway. The five sees me getting passed, so he’s trying to predict the corner to figure out ‘OK, I wanna pounce on him as well because I can see he’s lost momentum,’” Hamlin added.
“Well, I’m not even paying the five any attention because I’m just letting off, these guys are clearing me,” he explained. Larson pounced as Hamlin battled turbulent air from cars ahead.
Aerodynamic Chaos Triggered Near-Disaster for Hamlin and Larson
Hamlin detailed a perfect storm of aerodynamics that nearly wrecked both contenders. As Larson pulled alongside exiting Turn 2, the disrupted airflow destabilized Hamlin’s car.
“The five then comes with a major run, and when he gets to my right rear quarter panel and then gets up beside me, he dumps all of this air on my right rear spoiler,” Hamlin described. “I’ve got bad air now in the front and on the side. It just makes my car go dead straight.”
The loss of downforce forced a frantic correction. “I crank a bunch of wheel in it, I’m off the gas and slow down… that’s when you get deadass sideways.” He acknowledged the close call: “He [Larson] set up the corner so well that it caught me off guard. Put me in a horrible aero position where I nearly took both of us out.”
Larson finished fifth but remained critical post-race, telling SiriusXMRadio: “Denny did what Denny does… ran us out of room.”
After finishing fifth at Michigan, @KyleLarsonRacin explained why he was so unhappy with @dennyhamlin and @tydillon during Sunday’s Cup Series race. pic.twitter.com/bY6PDrmrjA
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) June 9, 2025
Hamlin’s self-deprecating analysis contrasted sharply with Larson’s frustration. His admission of defensive vulnerability — “worst defender in the series” — revealed an unexpected layer to a driver known for calculated aggression.
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Both recovered, but the Lap 58 exchange underscored Michigan’s high-stakes chess match. Hamlin’s victory came despite the moment that nearly erased both contenders.