Besides a little drama late in Sunday's 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Ryan Blaney has a lot to look forward to when the Cup Series goes to Martinsville to decide the final two drivers who will make the Championship Four at Phoenix.
Blaney doesn't much care for Denny Hamlin at the moment, though he probably isn't the only driver. Both Blaney and Hamlin are fighting to make the final round, and the two fought very hard for position throughout the race.
From Blaney's point of view, Hamlin was being a little too aggressive while holding him up during the race and forcing the driver of the No. 12 to abuse his tires, not to mention wasting his time.
Blaney seemed to grow very angry with Hamlin, and it spilled over to quite the colorful (and NSFW) remark when Hamlin ultimately crashed out of the race. Kelly Crandall from Racer Magazine caught the radio communication from Blaney when the incident occurred.
"f**k you, dickhead," Blaney said about Hamlin's incident via his radio.
Blaney wasn't done bashing the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, as he heavily criticized the way Hamlin was racing, and referenced Hamlin's famous 'hack' line about Alex Bowman from a couple of years ago.
Ryan Blaney expressed frustration with the No. 11 after the race Sunday. pic.twitter.com/T8rwQSoGSf
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 22, 2023
"Oh, he tried to slide me two or three times and failed miserably, and then just decided to use me up," Blaney said. "I mean, if you're going to slide somebody, slide somebody, commit. Don't halfway do it and use me up. ... What does he? What did he say? Hack? I think he was that today."
For the record, Blaney has the edge on Hamlin in the championship chase. Blaney is above the cutline while Hamlin lies 17 points below it.
Usually, Hamlin calls other drivers out so it's refreshing to see someone return the favor. How will Hamlin respond in the next installment of his "Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin?" One can only tune in and watch. Get your popcorn ready.
