Hamlin was battling Alex Bowman for the race lead when the two drivers made contact, sending the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota spinning.
Bowman went on to win the race while Hamlin finished 24th.
Tensions boiled over after the checkered flag as Bowman prepared to do burnouts at the start/finish line following his fourth victory of the 2021 season. Hamlin drove up and went nose-to-nose with the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports driver. He stepped on the gas and displayed the middle finger before driving off.
He then used his post-race interview to tear into Bowman.
“He’s just a hack,” he said as the crowd erupted into boos. “Just an absolute hack. He gets his ass kicked by his teammates every week. He’s (expletive) terrible. He’s just terrible. He sees one opportunity, he takes it.
“He didn’t want to race us there. We had a good, clean race. I moved up as high as I could on the racetrack to give him all the room I could, he still can’t drive.”
When asked about the boos from the crowd, Hamlin dismissed them. “It’s just Chase Elliott fans, man. They don’t think straightly.” He then added that it doesn’t bother him and he expects they will “boo the shit out of me next week, I can tell you that.”
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry FedEx Ground confronts race winner Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Ally after the checkered flag
Photo by: Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images
Bowman defended himself and claims there was no intent on his part. “No, I just got loose underneath. I’m not trying to drive underneath there and crash the guy. I got under him fair, under him clean. I just got sideways underneath him, spun him out. Hate to do that. Obviously unintentional. Part of short-track racing.”
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