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Despite his win earlier this month, 2022 has been a year riddled with one error after another for Denny Hamlin, which has cost him dearly on the track. To make matters worse, he posted a Tweet aimed at Kyle Larson, which received a lot of backlash for being insensitive and offensive.
After watching both of his 23XI Racing cars crash on the final lap at Talladega due to the Hendricks Motorsport driver's misjudged move, Hamlin turned to Twitter 24 hours later to upload a clip from Family Guy, which began with Larson's name being overlaid on it. The clip shows an Asian character cutting across numerous lanes of traffic, thus causing accidents. Many found this post to be racist and offensive, especially since Larson is Asian American.
Earlier this week, when the three-time Daytona 500 winner met with the media before the race at Dover, he was asked about the events of the previous week. Hamlin, who is known for his openness, did not hold back.
Regarding the video that Hamlin posted on Twitter, which was later deleted, he maintained that the concept of his tweet was funny, but he admitted that it was disrespectful and offended some people. He stated that while the experience will not affect who he is, he recognizes that it is an opportunity for personal growth.
“I’ll always continue to be me, and it’s not always going to be the most popular thing, but I am who I am. Certainly, I never will stop continuing to grow. I always want to be a better person, better dad, better partner, better team owner, better driver. I always strive to try and be better, and I work really hard at it.”
Kyle Larson's response to Denny Hamlin’s Tweet
Kyle Larson was recently given the opportunity to comment on the situation. While speaking to reporters in Dover, Larson said that he was not offended by Hamlin's post since he knew him, however, he understands that it may have offended many people. He further said he believes NASCAR did what they needed to do, referring to Hamlin's formally-mandated sensitivity training.
"Obviously it was just poor judgment on his part. And I think being in the position that we're in, you have to be very careful with what you put out in the public. I know he'll learn a lot here these next couple weeks. I think we're all just ready to move past it and get back to focused on racing.”
Lastly, Larson said that he harbored no ill feelings towards Hamlin, noting that one might only realize how hurtful something is after already having put it out in the world.
