Denny Hamlin defends Ricky Stenhouse Jr. after wrecking Ryan Blaney on final lap
NASCAR fans saw a bit of chaos during the final lap at Daytona this weekend, where two wrecks brought out a yellow flag that ended the race before the cars crossed the finish line. A first scrum caught a large numbers of cars, scattering those that got through the wreckage for one final chase to the finish. In that second sprint, the No. 47 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got into the No. 12 of Ryan ...…
Following a chaotic final lap at Daytona, NASCAR saw two wrecks that ended the race prematurely. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed into Ryan Blaney in the second sprint, causing the 12th to end up 33rd. Blaney was furious about the incident, berating Stenhouse on the radio. However, Denny Hamlin defended Stenhouse on his podcast, pointing out that the collision appeared more complex than it initially seemed.
Hamlin suggested that Stenhouse may have been trying to side draft Blaney as he attempted to move past the 3 car, which was barely clinging to the wall. Hamlin emphasized that Stenhouse was likely focused on the car ahead, making split-second decisions given the speed of the race. While Stenhouse's move was the cause of the incident, Hamlin expressed more understanding than Blaney's public reaction. The result didn't impact Blaney's position in the postseason, as he maintained second place.
Written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
