“For all you Denny fans out there, I just knocked your favorite driver out,” said Ty Dillon after finishing eighth at EchoPark Speedway. It was perhaps the biggest upset in the opening race of the in-season tournament, where the two drivers went head-to-head in a bracket-style elimination challenge. To say that the 2025 Quaker State 400 was chaotic would be an understatement, with nearly half the field being affected by on-track incidents.
Denny Hamlin was one of them. The veteran racer got tangled up in a massive wreck on Lap 69, forcing him to retire early and finish 31st. But the 44-year-old didn’t take the brutal jab by Dillon personally, and chose to be a “big boy and take it.” But he also made a tongue-in-cheek comment, reminding fans of his dominant record against Dillon in Atlanta.
Denny Hamlin enjoyed Dillon’s trash talk
Ty Dillon flipped the script. For once, it wasn’t Denny Hamlin who was trolling the fans after the checkered flag was waved at EchoPark Speedway. Instead, the No. 10 Chevy driver couldn’t help but make a joke at the veteran’s expense, who was forced to end his race prematurely for the third time this season. It was a well-natured joke, and a not-so-subtle dig after the No. 11 driver taunted fans at Michigan International Speedway by saying he beat their favorite driver. It wasn’t the first time he had used that line either.
And Denny Hamlin didn’t mind Ty Dillon’s joke at all. Sharing his thoughts on the Actions Detrimental podcast, the Florida native said, “Just let him have his moment. He texted me and he was like, ‘I was just playing around.’ Bro, I loved it. If you people think that you are going to hurt my feelings by coming into my mentions and saying, ‘Haha, Ty Dillon beat you,’ you’re never going to make fun of me more than I’m going to make fun of myself. Ever.” Still, he couldn’t help but make a subtle jab of his own, saying, “I was 5-0 against him at this track. And you know how bad I’ve been at Atlanta. Still, was 5-0.”
Hamlin has dished it out far too often in his career. But the inevitable outcome of trash talk is that it’ll be thrown right back at him when the time is right. That’s exactly what happened at EchoPark Speedway, and the 44-year-old welcomed it with open arms. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver said, “You’re not going to offend me. I have a really, really thick skin.” He also went on to say, “You open yourself up to that. Moments of fail, they’re going to give it to you.” Fair play.
CHARLOTTE, NC – MAY 25: Ty Dillon 50 Team AmeriVet AmeriVet Securities Chevrolet sits on pit wall during qualifying for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2024 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAY 25 NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2405252042600
But what Denny Hamlin won’t be happy about is how the race at EchoPark Speedway unfolded. Having won the race in Michigan and finished runner-up at Pocono Raceway, the 44-year-old had momentum on his side going to Georgia. But the 1.54-mile quad-oval hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the veteran racer in the past, and it didn’t change this time around. But while a DNF is far from ideal, he’s still ranked fourth in the standings with three wins to his name.
Hamlin questions NASCAR’s strategy after wreck-filled race
The stakes were high. After all, $1 million was on the line with the opening in-season tournament race taking place at EchoPark Speedway. But for many of the Cup Series heavyweights, the Quaker State 400 didn’t play out as planned. Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson, along with plenty of others, were knocked out in the very first round because of uncontrollable circumstances, making Denny Hamlin question NASCAR’s strategy for the bracket-style elimination.
Speaking candidly on his podcast, Hamlin said, “I’m so against it (EchoPark Speedway) being at the start of our bracket. It knocked out seven of the top eight guys in points. How about this? Here’s a fun fact. There are no winners except for Chase Elliott left in the bracket. Zero winners. So, do you think that ruins the bracket? I think it’s probably not a good strategy if you had to pick.”
With plenty of big names out of the in-season tournament already, will fans feel invested in the following rounds despite a million dollars being on the line? Time will tell. But it seems like Denny Hamlin makes a valid point when he says, “It’s probably not a good strategy to knock out all your top guys.” But with the ‘big names’ out of contention already, perhaps this would give an opportunity for others to step up and get some limelight for a change.
The post Denny Hamlin Shrugs Off Ty Dillon’s Post-Race Jab, Reminds Fans of His One-Sided Atlanta Records appeared first on EssentiallySports.
