“I couldn’t believe he had the balls”: Denny Hamlin gets candid about Brad Keselowski’s aggressive move on Christopher Bell at Bristol

Syndication: The Des Moines Register - Source: Imagn
Denny Hamlin on Christopher Bell and Brad Keselowski last-minute battle at Bristol- Source: Imagn

On the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin opened up about Brad Keselowski's last-minute move on his teammate, Christopher Bell. The last race of the Round of 16, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, was scheduled at Bristol Motor Speedway, and Bell took home his fourth win of the season.

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The #20 Toyota Camry XSE driver qualified among the top ten drivers on the grid, securing a P9 finish. He completed the lap with a best time of 15.21 seconds, reaching a top speed of 126.12 mph.

Additionally, he was just 0.10 seconds behind the pole sitter, AJ Allmendinger. Meanwhile, Keselowski began the race in his #6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse from P18.

Later, with four laps to go in the 500-lap race, Christopher Bell charged towards the lead with everything he had and survived a last-minute move from the RFK Racing driver. Keselowski went for an old-school move and bumped into Bell before he crossed the finish line, but instead of spinning out, Bell went straight, winning the race. Reflecting on the incident, Denny Hamlin expressed his views [00:05]:

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"I thought as hard as Brad hit him, I mean, I thought he wrecked him. I could not believe he had the balls to hit him that hard. Bell missed turns one and two; that's what allowed him to even get close. That just tells you the advantage that leaders got. When second place hits you that hard and it doesn't even move your car hardly, yikes."
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Continuing further, the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver claimed that Brad Keselowski's move wouldn't be considered a 'clean move' if Bell had spun out. The JGR driver survived the bump and crossed the finish line 0.343 seconds ahead of the #6 Ford Mustang driver, locking his spot in the next phase of the playoffs.


“Not even my concern”: Denny Hamlin speaks his mind over Bristol penalty after losing a wheel

On the same podcast, the NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin shared his take on the Bristol Night Race penalty. Hamlin began the 500-lap race from sixth place and was 0.074 seconds behind the pole sitter.

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Despite having a solid start at the main event, the JGR driver was penalized in the final stage of the race. During lap 384 of the 500-lap race, Hamlin made contact with AJ Allmendinger, and his front right wheel got loose.

Following that, the governing body slammed him with a two-lap penalty. However, that was not all; the sanctioning body also suspended two crew members for the upcoming two races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. Instead of focusing on his crew member's replacement, Denny Hamlin wished to pay attention to the things he can control. He stated:

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"I have no idea who's sitting on the bench or who's ready, and it's not even my concern...cuz that's the crew chief. He manages the people. Um, there's nothing I can do about it. You know what I mean? My concern needs to be on the things that I can control." [35:53 onwards]

After an unsatisfactory finish in the Bristol Pro Shops Night race, Denny Hamlin aims to win the Mobil 1 301 scheduled for September 21, 2025. USA, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and HBO Max will broadcast the 301-lap event live at 2 p.m. ET.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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