Kyle Larson addresses possible rivalry with Denny Hamlin in 2024

Kyle Larson raced Denny Hamlin aggressively at the end of Stage 2 at Nashville Superspeedway, resulting in the No. 11 car bumping him under caution. Then, Larson appeared to be very aggressive with Hamlin on the first NASCAR overtime restart, which ended up wrecking Ross Chastain and others. At the end of the day, the Hendrick Motorsports driver finished in eighth place, while the Joe Gibbs Racing driver finished in 12th place.

Following the event, Larson was asked if he has a rivalry with Hamlin, as the two drivers have had several on-track encounters dating back to the start of the 2023 season. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion wouldn’t give a yes or no, but did admit there are stretches where it complies.

“I don’t know,” Larson said. “I wouldn’t agree or disagree. It comes and goes, I feel like we race well together at times and there’s times where I feel like [Denny Hamlin] races me not the fairest. I’m sure he feels the same way. It’s not an ongoing rivalry but there’s definitely weeks and stretches where it compiles.”

“Hopefully, we can move on from it soon, and I can get a little bit of respect from him.”

Larson and Hamlin are friends off the race track, but that changes when they are behind the wheel. Larson has been on the short end of most encounters while Hamlin benefits. Yet, Hamlin also downplays the notion that a rivalry is brewing. Larson and Hamlin’s aggressive racing isn’t going anywhere, and it’ll be fascinating to track throughout the 2024 NASCAR season.

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