“Larson Is Getting a Little Tired”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Believes Kyle Larson’s Altercation With Denny Hamlin Highlights His Turbulent HMS Relations.
“Shut the f*** up” – As Denny Hamlin shoved Kyle Larson into the wall at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the latter was left angry as his spotter criticized his defense. Tyler Monn, the spotter for the #5 HMS crew, expressed his displeasure with Larson’s choice not to seek retribution. What fueled the hostility between Larson and his spotter, who was a favorite of Rick Hendrick’s?
According to Dale Earnhardt Jr., the incident at NHMS during the USA Today 301 revealed a dispute between the top driver and his crew members. And what could Kyle Larson have done better to avert such tensions?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes Hendrick Motorsports wants Kyle Larson to change his payback policy.
Kyle Larson is not only one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR, but he’s also known as one of the most fair and just drivers. Run into him and ruin his chances at a win? Larson most likely won’t retaliate on track. Such was also the case when Denny Hamlin sidelined the #5 HMS Camaro ZL1 to chase after Tyler Reddick’s #45 Camry XSE. After Denny Hamlin ran Larson out of space and overtook him, the #5’s spotter was visibly frustrated.
Tyler Monn shared a few heated words with his driver; “He runs you like that every time, you know why because you let it happen.” But Larson was having none of it, as he immediately retorted; “Shut the f*** up.” It appeared that finally, Larson had enough of the growing animosity between him and his spotter over his on-track aggression.
Further analyzing what went down, Dale Earnhardt Jr looked into the relationships at HMS and how Larson may have reached a boiling point. The NASCAR veteran shared on the Dale Jr Download; “I think Kyle Larson is getting a bit tired of the prodding from those individuals he relies on to support him, right? We’ve seen and heard this a little bit before where his crew chief can be quite blunt and straight up with him about what’s going on or what he needs to do.”
According to Junior, Kyle Larson is not a guy who won’t use his bumper, but at the same time, the #5 driver is cautious with every move. In the case of Denny Hamlin, Junior felt that Larson couldn’t have done much to stop a charging Denny Hamlin from maneuvering past him eventually. Larson was essentially on a two-tire deficit and had the situations been reversed, he would have done the same to Hamlin.
Thus, Earnhardt Jr felt that the #5 spotter’s comments sent Larson over the edge. Junior further added, “Now, you know the next time he gets to him, could he punt him up the racetrack? Yeah. And I think that’s what they kind of want him to do. Like, let Denny Know on track that you’re sick of it, like ‘next time we’re in that situation, you’re not going to take the corner, you’re gonna give me room and race me fair.”
If Hendrick Motorsports is expecting Kyle Larson to be more aggressive on the track, was it the right call for his spotter to share criticisms during such a heated moment? Either way that the pendulum swings, one thing’s for sure: Kyle Larson will stand his ground.
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