Denny Hamlin knew Kyle Larson would make a three-wide dive bomb on the overtime restart to conclude Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas.
The driver of the No. 11 was the control car for the restart and elected to start on the bottom. On the outside of the first row was Tyler Reddick in the No. 45, while Larson started on the inside of the second lane.
As the field took the green, Larson dove underneath Hamlin and completed a three-wide pass for the lead. However, Reddick would storm back on the final lap to secure the victory in the AdventHealth 400.
It was a critical point for Hamlin in the race as the move shuffled his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota backward and killed his momentum on the final restart. On the most recent episode of his podcast, Hamlin fired a warning to Larson over the pass.
Hamlin on if Larson makes another three-wide move
On “Actions Detrimental,” Hamlin said he knew Larson was not going to push him on the final restart of the race.
The 45-year-old’s prediction was correct as Larson drove underneath Hamlin as the field entered turn one to take the lead. If there is a next time, Hamlin made it known he is not letting the Hendrick Motorsports driver get underneath him.
“When I know, because I’ve been there before, the 5 car is not going to push. He’s going to try to do everything he can to go three wide. I’ve got to just go down to the apron and say, ‘You want to go three wide? You’re going to have to go through the middle,’” Hamlin said.
Hamlin went on to detail what he will do differently next time, firing a stern warning at Larson that he will have to opt to go to the middle line instead of the bottom.
“I’ll send you a forewarning right now. If this happens again, he’s going to have to go to the middle. I will not let him. I will run to the apron or keep him on the apron next time. I will not get beat low at this racetrack again. Will not do it,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin was then asked by his podcast co-hosts why he did not elect to restart on the outside line. Upon reflection, Hamlin said that would have been the better option.
“As strong as I know my cars are on mile-and-a-halves on the top, I absolutely should start top no matter what. Let me be the guy on the outside because I’m going to hold more throttle than everybody else is,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin’s team car earned historic fifth win of 2026
While Hamlin fell short of a victory on Sunday, his 23XI Racing driver, Tyler Reddick, earned a monumental win.
Reddick overtook Larson in the final turn of the race to nab his fifth win of the 2026 season. The driver of the No. 45 is the first driver to win five of the first nine races of a season since Dale Earnhardt did it in 1987.
The win extended Reddick’s point lead to 105 over second-place Hamlin. The circuit heads to the Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday for the Jack Link’s 500.
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