During the Round of 16 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Gateway on Sunday, a pivotal incident occurred with six laps remaining in Stage 2 when Kyle Larson spun Ryan Blaney. The collision happened as Larson aggressively pushed deep into Turn 3, resulting in contact with the left side of Blaney’s car. This move sparked frustration from Blaney, who confronted Larson on pit road immediately after the race. The incident has drawn significant attention, with Denny Hamlin weighing in on the situation.
Larson admitted that he miscalculated the maneuver, and Hamlin shared his perspective on the incident, explaining Larson’s intent and why the move ultimately failed.
Denny Hamlin Breaks Down Larson’s Approach and Mistake
Hamlin described Larson’s attempt as a forceful but poorly judged move. According to Hamlin, Larson was aiming to position his car in a way that would disrupt Blaney’s momentum entering the corner, hoping to slow Blaney by applying aerodynamic pressure along his car door. This tactic is intended to allow Larson’s car to maintain side-by-side speed on corner exit and gain ground along the straightaway.
He goes in hard, doesn’t he? … He clearly misjudged it,
Hamlin said on Monday’s Actions Detrimental podcast. You could see what he was trying to do because he did it the lap before. He went from the bottom to the top and what he’s trying to do is get his right front fender right on the door of the 12 into the corner, so it forces the 12 to lift because he gets a tight moment on corner exit. Now, the 5 can maintain side-by-side with him down the straightaway. Otherwise, if he doesn’t do that, the 12, because of the line he’s running, the 5 is going to have a really tough time getting beside the 12 any way, except for he’s going to have to have a much faster car or he’s going to have to shift his line slightly.
There’s no way the 5 comes off the corner remotely with any speed to stay beside the 12. All he’s trying to do is go up there and slow the 12 down by ramming air to his left side door. He misjudged it by like eight feet. I mean, it was a lot. It’s a mistake. We’ve seen some Larson mistakes here lately.
Hamlin’s analysis focused on the spatial miscalculation Larson made, which caused unnecessary contact and impacted Blaney’s race position. He noted that while the move’s objective was clear, the execution fell short by a wide margin, making it a clear error rather than intentional aggression.
Context of the Aggressive Move and Hamlin’s Take on Its Necessity
Larson’s move was an aggressive attempt to pass Blaney for fifth place at the end of the stage, a challenging effort given Larson’s position on the bottom of the track. Hamlin, with experience in similar situations, described the maneuver as unnecessarily risky and perhaps avoidable.
There is a moment — some are more aware of that moment, I don’t know. I get into guys left side doors all the time because I misjudge. It’s tough for me to say,
Hamlin said. This job is really, really hard. I can’t emphasize that enough, and I’m not trying to stick up for him, but I will tell you that in the car, when you’re trying to run close on somebody and you’re on the inside, you have the most stuff blocking your view. The headrest is bigger on the right side — to see him, you’ve almost got to peek to get a feel for where your right front fender is, and then you’re trying to identify where their car is. A lot of it is you’re doing it off of feel, and your spotter is probably telling you he’s two lengths up. You’re all trying to time it.
It’s way easier when the person you’re trying to side draft is on the left side because it’s all right there in front of you. You can see it, you’ve got the window net there that you can see holes through. It’s difficult, it’s just that was an extremely high-risk move that was gonna put the 12 in an extremely tough spot that I don’t know it was necessary. It was probably an unnecessary move, and he probably wishes he could do it again.
Hamlin emphasized just how difficult the split-second decision-making in the cockpit can be, especially when drivers must judge spacing using limited visibility and rely on instinct and spotter information. Still, he suggested Larson likely regrets choosing such a risky moment that compromised both drivers’ races.
Ryan Blaney Reflects on the Collision and Its Impact on His Race
Despite being spun, Blaney managed to recover and finish the race in fourth place, while Larson ended up twelfth. After the race, the two drivers talked through the incident, with Blaney expressing a determination to remember the event but also a forward-looking attitude based on his comeback.
I just wanted to know what I did to deserve it. He just said he made a mistake, and you know, yeah that’s fine, make mistakes. But at the end of the day, I still got turned,
Blaney said. He came from all the way on the bottom of the racetrack and hit me in the left rear. I know he most likely didn’t mean to do it, but it happened anyway.
Blaney also highlighted his ability to rebound after the incident, crediting good timing and a strong car for enabling his recovery.
So, that’s just one I gotta remember, but I was happy we bounced back. After getting turned around and did a good job of kinda timing out where we needed to be and having a good enough car to get back to fourth.
Implications for NASCAR and Future Races
This incident underlines the constant tension and risk in NASCAR playoff racing, where every move can have significant consequences. Larson’s aggressive attempt to pass highlighted how difficult it can be to gain ground, while Hamlin’s insights reveal the complexity behind these split-second tactical decisions. For Blaney, the spin was a setback but also an opportunity to demonstrate resilience.
Looking ahead, Larson may reconsider such high-risk moves as he seeks to avoid costly mistakes, while Blaney’s ability to recover could bolster his confidence in the coming races. Discussions like those among drivers and analysts help fans and competitors understand the fine line between aggressive strategies and overreaching in highly competitive environments.
