Chase Briscoe admitted that if Dover winner Denny Hamlin wasn’t his teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, he would’ve raced him differently in the final laps of Sunday’s race. If he had taken a different approach, it appears things would’ve ended much worse for both drivers.
Hamlin said on the latest episode of Actions Detrimental that if any driver attempts to run him up the track and force him to lift toward the wall, he could take them out with him.
“If someone is going to chase me up the track, this is a public service announcement to anyone that thinks they’re going to do that. If they do it, I’m just going to hold the gas down, bounce off the wall and take you out with me. That’s what I would’ve done.”
Denny Hamlin on what will happen if a driver tries to chase him up the track on the final laps
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Hamlin was asked what Chase Briscoe could have done differently after the final restart in overtime to try and beat him. The driver of the No. 11 car said that the only thing the No. 19 could have done was “through one and two, run me up the track, force me to lift off turn two.”
However, if Briscoe attempted that, Hamlin said he wasn’t going to lift. He would have kept his foot down on the gas, bounced off the wall, and it could have ended poorly for both drivers.
“I wasn’t going to lift. There’s just no way. I’m already in control of the race. It’s our race to lose. Running me up the race track, that’s what he could’ve done, I just think it probably would have been bad for both of us.”
Denny Hamlin on what would’ve happened if Chase Briscoe tried to lift him on the final laps
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Fortunately, as was the case with Christopher Bell in the battle for the lead, Briscoe is Hamlin’s JGR teammate, and they both recognized the importance of the team securing a first- and second-place finish.
It’s something to keep in mind with the NASCAR schedule this weekend headed to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Hamlin is seeking a Brickyard 400 victory that has eluded him throughout his career. If he’s in the lead near the finish line and someone like Joey Logano or Kyle Larson is battling him, things could get interesting.
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