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23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin was in high demand after last weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A P5 finish for the owner-operator was a decent day as he tried to strengthen his championship bid. The other substantial news from the day, however, wasn't from the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's finishing position, or even from the winner Joey Logano.
The talk of the town after South Point 400 last Sunday was about the incident that occurred on stage two of the 400-mile-long race involving 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace Jr., along with reigning champion Kyle Larson. The two drivers were seen battling on track for position when a disagreement between the two spilled onto the infield grass.
The #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driven by Larson was seen crowding the #45 Toyota Camry TRD driven by Wallace Jr. up the track, which resulted in the latter making contact with the wall. In retaliation, Wallace Jr. hooked Larson's right-rear quarter panel and sent both cars out of control, before confronting the latter in the infield.
SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's Claire B. Lang asked Denny Hamlin about the incident post-race, to which he replied:
"I didn't see it, everyone has asked me about it. I'm assuming it's substantial. Those things are usually a driver-to-driver issue. I don't usually get in the middle of it. I'm friends with both of them so I'd just encourage both of them to talk to each other."
Denny Hamlin co-owns 23XI Racing along with basketball legend Michael Jordan, who field the #45 Toyota in the Cup Series. Both owners have played a major role in Bubba Wallace Jr.'s contract and see a lot of potential in the Mobile, Alabama native. After a controversy like last weekend's, however, there are bound to be serious discussions taking place at the team.
Denny Hamlin elaborates on top-5 finish in Las Vegas
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin managed to finish in P5 in last Sunday's Round of 8 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as championship contenders try and advance to the next round. The #11 FedEx Toyota Camry TRD driver was within touching distance of the victory but never seemed to have the speed to challenge upfront in the 400-mile-long race.
He elaborated on his outing after the event and said:
"Just didn't really have, you know, the speed that I needed. Even when I was starting up front I just couldn't hold my position."
Watch the complete interview below:
NASCAR will go live from Homestead-Miami Speedway next Sunday to race 400 miles in the Dixie Vodka 400.
