By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
After some pointed comments to those racing in the back half of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field at Indianapolis, Denny Hamlin clarified those comments in Las Vegas.
With seven laps remaining at Indianapolis, Hamlin was leading the race when Jeffrey Earnhardt and Landon Cassill made contact and brought out the caution flag. That caution period ultimately allowed for Brad Keselowski to pass Hamlin for the race win.
“What I needed was not having meaningless guys in the back wreck,” Hamlin said to reporters after the race in Indianapolis. “I don’t know what they’re doing crashing with a couple of laps to go, multiple laps down. Meaningless.
“Besides that, all those cautions allowed the guys who took tires and save their strategy – allowed them to come back up there and obviously allowed (Keselowski) to kind of rough us up there at the end. Very unfortunate, but it’s what happens sometimes.”
Hamlin said the comments of those drivers being meaningless are because of their “actions” on the track.
“I was saying what their actions were what was meaningless. You have to recognize where you’re at,” Hamlin stated.
The veteran driver says he received tweets about being a mentor for those guys in the back of the field. However, he knows they have been in the sport for some time.
He also mentioned a point in his racing career where he knew his place in the field.
“I’ve also raced on a budget for a long time throughout the course of my career and I knew I couldn’t wreck. You’ll never get better by wrecking because you don’t have the money to afford the car or fix it. I think you have to have awareness of where you were at, they were 29th and there are 31 cars on the track.
“That means there are two cars behind them and one of those was even more laps down them than they were. They were only racing each other for 29th and not for points. What were they doing and thinking? It sucks when it affects you,” he stated.
Hamlin said that his comments were out of frustration because it affected him personally and not a jab at anyone in particular.
Thats usually what a driver that no longer relevant would say.