[autotag]Ryan Blaney[/autotag] looked to be in a great position to lock himself into the Championship 4 for the first time in his career. Unfortunately for Blaney, he came up just short with a second-place finish to Christopher Bell at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Team Penske driver still had a successful day after leaving with a 10-point advantage to the playoff cut-line.
However, the race at Homestead didn’t come without some controversy after hard racing with [autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag]. Following the event, Blaney called out Hamlin for his actions on the race track and even used a term to describe the Joe Gibbs Racing driver that will raise some eyebrows.
"What did he say? Hack? I think he was that today." Reaction to Ryan Blaney vs. Denny Hamlin at Homestead-Miami Speedway. #NASCAR #RaceHub@adam1alexander | @LarryMac28 | @Tbayne6 pic.twitter.com/QuWEdJwSEk
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 24, 2023
“(Denny Hamlin) 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 gonna slide somebody, slide somebody and commit. Don’t halfway do it and use me up. So what did he say? Hack? I think he was that today.”
Hamlin previously called Alex Bowman a “hack” in 2021 following their confrontation at Martinsville Speedway. Now, he is facing the same response from Blaney. With one race left in the Round of 8, it’s easy to tell that Blaney and Hamlin will not give each other any room moving forward with a championship on the line.
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