Denny Hamlin’s ‘Smooth’ Bump Enthralls NASCAR Veterans as They Pick His Side in New Hampshire Fiasco

Joe Gibbs Racing’s drama unfolded at New Hampshire last Sunday. Similarly, a parallel drama has broken out on social media, featuring NASCAR veterans picking sides. Kevin Harvick, while condemning the clash between Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin, mostly called out the latter for his ‘intentional’ moves. On the other hand, Dale Earnhardt Jr. implied that Gibbs should have more regard for his teammates’ needs. Another pair of veterans found nothing shocking about Hamlin’s moves.

The No. 11 Toyota driver has long been a polarizing figure in the sport. From getting into conflicts with NASCAR’s popular drivers like Chase Elliott to hosting unfiltered opinions, many things keep Denny Hamlin’s reputation a matter of debate. Yet two former Cup Series drivers found his New Hampshire move cool – reminiscing about a past NASCAR legend.

Denny Hamlin gets a nod of approval

Well, the JGR veteran has been compared to Harry Gant before. Dale Jr. drew the two legends together on one common point – the lack of a championship. Gant won 18 Cup Series races across 474 starts, of which the first 107 went winless. Mostly known for his short-track racing fame, Gant won his first NASCAR trophy at the age of 42 in April 1982. But the focal point here is that he may have benefited from contact with Butch Lindley when they were running 2-3. Lindley looped, and Gant suffered right-front damage. Yet this created an opening for fresh air, which pushed Gant to victory.

Does this sound similar to the New Hampshire fiasco? To move Ty Gibbs out of the way, Denny Hamlin planted the lightest bump on the No. 54’s rear. Kenny Wallace, a 9-time Xfinity Series race winner, recollected the incident while referring to Harry Gant: “Denny’s fighting for the championship. He’s underneath Ty, like a lot. Like he’s up to his door, and they get into the corner. And Ty won’t give it to him. Denny finally says I’ve had enough. And he just Harry Gant’s him. Just like he hits him, but he don’t know he’s being hit.”

Then Ken Schrader noted the nature of the bump: “Very smoothly.” Kenny Wallace continued the parallel between Denny Hamlin and Gant, saying, “Yes, Harry would move you, and you wouldn’t know you’re moved. Denny just barely put that bumper there and said Kid, you’re pissing me off.” 

Ken Schrader agreed, calling Denny Hamlin’s bluff on his ‘unintentional move’ claims. “If it wasn’t for the TV cameras, he could have denied it,” the 4-time Cup Series race winner said. Yet he also sanctioned Hamlin’s moves, expressing concerns about JGR’s team meetings. “I can see for sure why Denny was aggravated. For sure. You know, when we were a multi-car team at Hendrick, it was only involved in a couple of those deals. And we worked it out in the Monday (meeting). No problem. And there wasn’t a problem afterwards. I’d like to know how that one’s gonna work out because it is a little different when it’s the grandson of the owner.” 

While this tug-of-war about ‘The Magic Mile’ fiasco continued, Denny Hamlin is looking forward to a change.

Prioritizing the needs of drivers

Although JGR‘s in-fighting does not paint a pretty picture, Denny Hamlin and his teammates can be on the same page about something else. After much back-and-forth about NASCAR’s playoff format, the series will likely implement changes. The ‘Playoff Committee’ instituted soon after Joey Logano‘s 2024 Cup Series title has spurred whispers of a new format. According to Jordan Bianchi, the rumored system would have two rounds of three races and a final round of four races in the postseason. This is a fair proposition for the current cutthroat elimination format, which does not reward consistency.

Although supporting a return to the old, 36-race season-long format, Denny Hamlin is eager for any change. He hopes for a more “simplified” format that recognizes drivers who “show excellence.” The JGR veteran said, “I just want the guys that show excellence every week to be rewarded for that, and not have to fight every three weeks with a reset to take away their advantage that they have built. And so surely there’s a format out there that can give a little bit to everyone, and I think it’s possible.”

Evidently, Denny Hamlin can look forward to less pressure in the 2026 season. Presently, however, he needs to deal with his team’s drama while pursuing a Cup Series title.