So was the claim at least after an incident with Kyle Petty and his No. 45 Dodge Sunday at Dover International Speedway.
Here's the exact quote from the Hammy after the wreck that definitely slowed his progress in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
"Let's look back at my career. I've never wrecked anyone my entire career has anybody spun off my front bumper. It's not like I'm a guy who runs into everybody," said Hamlin.
So you've never, ever wrecked anyone? Ever?
Now, here's the wreck and aftermath (aftermath first, wreck second).
Daaaaaaaaang, Denny!
Not only did Denny cause a stupid wreck, but a much older driver in a much slower car owned him on national TV. And the best we could get from that was Hamlin jumping out of his Fedex ride like he were going to do something about it?
Better yet, why didn't he?
Now, I'm not trying to say Kyle Petty is exactly a saint, but the guy has a point in what he's saying to Hamlin. Race everybody clean. Everybody.
Is Kyle Petty competing for this year's Chase? Not even by a long shot.
Is Petty competing to stay in the top-35 in order to assure his team makes next year's Daytona 500? You bet.
Now, you, the loyal FanHouse reader, be the judge. Who was the most out of line? Petty reaching into Denny's jacked up car and flipping down Denny's visor or Hamlin's impatient bump on the race track?
Or the better question, who has more right to the race track?
For me? I've gotta say that I'd be a lot of bit more ticked had someone stuck my car in the wall after getting out of the way than for someone to come yell at me on national TV. Petty should have been incensed -- that car doesn't just rebuild itself -- and he had all the right to be after Hamlin's lack of patience.
Likewise, Hamlin had all the right to apologize and man up to his actions unlike a Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.
But he didn't.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
9-26-2007 @ 9:20AM
Maveness said...
There will be people who say that Kyle shouldn't be on the track - thing is, NASCAR allows for 43 cars to be out there every week. Kyle gets in the race every week. Therefore, by basic logic, NASCAR says he can be on the track.
Also, and I love Kyle, but I know, just like he knows, that his heyday is way in the past...but Kyle has been racing as a lap down car for a long time. The guy knows how to stay out of the way.
A third thing, they were coming off the corner. Denny was tucked right into the back of Kyle and flat out punted Kyle, then said it was Kyle's fault for checking up. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Like at Daytona when Tony did the same thing to Denny and blamed Denny for it? The only difference being you don't lift at Daytona because of the restrictor plate. But still, the question at that time was should Tony have been jeopardizing his own chances in the race by racing Denny so hard so early. And that applies to Denny and Kyle as well. Should Denny have been pushing on a lap car so early in the race when he's a Chase contender? Nope.
Lastly, all of this would be moot if Denny would own up to a mistake. People are way more understanding if you just say "I'm sorry. I was racing too hard and I shouldn't have and I ruined two perfectly good cars." Even after Kyle got in his face, Denny could have still said that. Instead he says that Kyle should apologize to him for daring to be on the track? Get over yourself Denny. You're acting like Tony. The whining is annoying.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 9:23AM
CJ said...
Ill be honest, i blame this completely on Kyle Petty! Yea, Denny caused it, but Kyle should've been off that track along time ago! I really hated what happen to Adam, but Kyle still should've retired and hired a talented driver for the 45 car, but being the stubborn-ass he apparently is, he'd rather run Petty Enterprises into the ground! He's been too focused on his Victory Junction Gang project, which is a great cause, but Petty Enterprises has had to pay for it with the attention coming at their expense. Kyle was too damn focused on working on that and not enough on what made his name famous, RACE CARS! The #42 Mello Yello 1992 Kyle Petty was great and i enjoyed and pulled for every weekend, but the washed up 2007 Kyle Petty should either be running the Victory Junction Gang Camp or running Petty Enterprises from behind a desk, not a steering wheel. If it wasnt for his daddy, Petty Enterprises would've been gone a very long time ago and Kyle would've been put out of a ride before the turn of the century! I remember laughing my butt off when he fired John Andretti for not performing well enough to warrant him being in a Nextel Cup car, and i thought, "You wanna see that kind of driver, go look in the mirror!" Denny did make a mistake at Dover, but he's for the most part one of the easiest goin guy in the garage, and when he speaks his mind, people want to throw him under the bus! I dont blame him for wanting to hit Kyle. Had Kyle slapped my visor down, i'd grab him by that nasty ponytail and swing his tail around and around till i ripped it out! People need to cut Denny some slack and Kyle needs to get in touch with reality and get his untalented rear-end out of the damn race car!
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 9:28AM
Don Emerson said...
I thought it was so funny that Hamlin waited until his crew surrounded him and Petty had walked away before coming out of the car to whip butt. Real man there Hammy. If he had wrecked one of the Allison brothers, Yarborough,Dale Sr,or some of the other old time racers like that, he'd still be looking for his teeth on the garage floor. He was lucky things have changed.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 9:41AM
Kim said...
Great article Geoffrey!
Ah, yet another prime example of Joe Gibbs racing team's talent, attitude, and overall class! NOT! Looks like Denny is learning plenty from Tony Stewart. How to be an a-hole that is! I agree with Mr. Miller. This was completely Denny's fault. Kyle Petty deserves respect as do all the veteran racers. And he did have something of his own to race for, owner points. Even so, he was moving out of the way for each and every driver in the chase when they would come up on him. What a classy guy! He didn't have to do that. He could have said "screw them" & raced hard against them, but he didn't. He moved. Denny got impatient, showed his lack of maturity and respect and ended up looking like the ass. Not Kyle Petty. And good for Petty for speaking his mind & giving Denny a little "nudge." If I had been him, I would have knocked his teeth out. There was no excuse for Denny's actions. And to not own up to them afterwards, is just cowardly & immature!
Just my opinion of course!
Kim
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 9:51AM
Kim said...
Let me also add an additional comment to my above statements. One reason Kyle Petty tries so hard to make each race and stay in them each and every week is because it benefits his Victory Junction Camp for children with special needs that cannot go to a "normal" camp for kids or for kids who cannot afford to go and be a kid. Yet another example of what a classy guy he is. Now I have no idea how much money Kyle & Richard Petty donate to their camp, but I am willing to bet it's an awful lot of money that they give out of the goodness of their hearts to those who are less fortunate. Maybe Denny should "make up" with Kyle by donating some much needed funds to the Victory Junction Camps. I know I have and it's a great feeling! :-)
Kim
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 10:33AM
Trevor Sager said...
Crucify Denny Hamlin!!!!!!!! petty is money in the bank.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 11:00AM
RC said...
Ugh....so sick and tired of reading ignorant people's comments about Kyle Petty. Untalented is he? That's funny because I believe that he beat out a lot of other talented drivers to win a championship! Is his equipment up to par? No, but they're working their asses off to get it there. Evernham motorsports hasn't been doing so hot lately but I doubt people would be saying Kasey Kahne should get off the track. Doesn't matter how talented you are if you don't have the equipment.
Denny has NO class and has compleletly lost my respect. He made several comments about Petty that he should NEVER have made. Head over to foxsports.com and read the comments he made yourself. Denny should have grown some and apologized like a real man for screwing up, instead of demanding that Kyle Petty call him to apologize. And Kyle being such a class act and nice guy probably did apologize for the helmet thing...though I sincerely hope that he didn't. I'm really hoping that Denny ends up in 12th place this year and that this race plays a large role in doing so, maybe then he'll learn some humility and how to respect people who have paved the way for him. Kyle Petty is a champion, a gentleman, and a class act. Things that cannot describe with Denny Hamlin.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 11:09AM
sis said...
Denny Hamlin was totally in the wrong on this one. Kyle has every right to be out there as long as he is at the speed Nascar sets. Kyle's frustration was just too much for him and he let Hamlin know how he felt. Big deal. He hit the visor not the driver. Get over it Hamlin. You owe Kyle an appology at least for the damage you did to his car..Just because you are in the chase does not give you the right to run over anyone on the track. It will serve Hamlin right if in the future races he is held up by Kyle at some point. I really like Hamlin but this was just wrong. Kyle has always been one of the good guys and did not deserve this.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 1:18PM
Tanner said...
Kyle was right and Denny is wrong. I think that Denny has become a very arrogant jerk. Denny made more statements about the situation and I am curious how this will play out. Denny said that the bottom line if you hit his head visor then he will punch you in the face...so he expects a call from Kyle this week. Was Denny trying to imply that he would hit Kyle if he doesn't call him? We know that he wouldn't accept Tony's phone calls and had to have Joe Gibbs fly in to settle the matter. How can anyone be such a punk?
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 1:54PM
DWORDEN57 said...
What the hell, CJ? While your comments about Petty spreading himself too thin are true, he has as much right to be on the track as anybody else. The problem with the race team isn't the drivers ability. Kyle Petty has proven that he can drive a race car. He is a class act, and he deserves to be racing every bit as much as any of the other drivers out there. Nascar is lucky to have somebody like him represent their sport. As a matter of fact, you'd have to look pretty hard in any sport to find a better role model for kids. If Kyle were to have done what Hamlin did, you'd better believe he would take responsibility for it and apologize. And whatever happened to respecting the veterans, regardless of their position in the points. They are the reason these punk ass kids can have the fame and fortune they don't deserve.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 5:48PM
Sandie said...
I agree with DON EMERSON 100%. Denny Hamlin does not have respect for veteran drivers. Kyle's work at Victory Junction is no different than any other drivers foundation. Denny is going to have a rough year driving a Toyota next year. It will be interesting to watch his nasty personality next year when he does not make races and does not finish. Toyota has a lot of work, we have seen that with MWR.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 7:04PM
CJ said...
I stand by my comments. You all can jump on the let's feel sorry for Kyle because he's a nice guy, but he's washed up! You say he hasnt had the best equipment, so how many years does he get to use that excuse before they actually do something about it to make it better! Not to mention he needs to work on his appearance, he looks like a dirty old hippie! News flash, the ponytails are out! Denny did cause the accident, i dont deny that, but if Kyle's slow-ass hadnt of been out there, it would've never happened! Maybe if they get someone with "talent" in that car, it'd be running in the top five and ten, but it wont any time soon with Kyle Petty! Im sick and tired of the excuses Kyle makes, if he you cant run with the big dogs, stay on the porch! So just because he hasnt won a race in 12 years, he automatically deserves respect? Please! His embarassing career has only been kept around because of his daddy's reputation! Kyle Petty is a laughing joke and if anybody should be fired from Petty Enterprises, he should be the first out the door!
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 7:26PM
Mike said...
Considering who Denny has as a mentor I do not see this is a surprise to anyone. Has Tony Stewart ever admitted to causing a wreck? Like it or not, people are a product of their environment. Next year when they are both getting lapped in their Toyotas I hope someone runs their asses into the wall and gets out and bitches because they should be parked for going too slow.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 7:51PM
RC said...
CJ...seriously, could you be ANY more biased? Kyle Petty won a championship, he created his OWN reputation. How easy for you to say go out and fix it! Go faster...damn why didn't Kyle and Robbie Lomis think of that?!? You my friend have a career ahead of you in Nascar I think. Now if you could just come up with the $20 million dollars of sponsorship money it takes to actually make things improve, you'd be all set. For the record, Bobby Labonte also drives a Petty car, he used to drive the 18 of Gibbs and he also won a championship. Neither driver has forgotten how to drive. They just need the funding to catch up, just like Evernham needed a partner with deep pockets to catch up. Kyle has hired a lot of great people and made a lot of tough decisions (like out-sourcing the engine program) to help the team out. But right now there are only 3 teams winning. And I don't see why Kyle Petty was any problem at all. Denny ran into him in a corner, with no one else around (except for 1 other car in front of Kyle) there was plenty of room for a driver with an ounce of talent to make the pass without wrecking two cars and taking themself out of the race. Kyle manages to pass people, and be passed by people all the time without incident. Lay off the man. He's done more in his life than you or Denny for that matter could ever dream of doing. And he can't be fired from the company he owns...he'll step down when he wants to but sponsors want the Petty name...and as I already stated money is kinda necessary to make cars go fast.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 9:16PM
CJ said...
RC, apparently you know nothing of the sport. Kyle Petty NEVER won a championship! His daddy and granddad did, but he shamed the family name by failing to do so! And your right, they do want a Petty name, that name being Richard! Kyle is an embarassment on the company and has failed to live up to the Petty name in racing. Kyle only has 8 career wins, the last coming at Dover in 1995, driving for another team! Either get your facts right or shut your mouth!
Reply
9-27-2007 @ 4:16AM
annaseitter said...
CJ,FOR WHAT IS WORTH TO YOU,
I AGREE WITH EVERY WORD YOU SAY IN ALL 3 ABOVE BLOGS.
And yes DENNY made a mistake but KYLE PETTY made a double one by slapping DENNY on the hat.
Other bloggers talk about how hot head TONY STEWART and now DENNY and KYLE BUSH are in addition;they also ate the whining of the trio.This was in
recently past files, now they completely contraddict themselves by saying what KYLE did to DENNY was right.ONE BLOGGER above,(do not remember the name) even said he/she would have knocked DENNY'S TEETH OUT.They even said: good for kyle to speak his mind out by nudgeing HAMLIN. WOW,IT'S GOOD AND O.K WHAT KYLE PETTY DOES,but than when TONY, DENNY OR KYLE B.
WHINE OR SPEAK THEIR MINDS IN AN AGGRESSIVE WAY AGAINST OTHER DRIVERS , they are ignorant, they have no class, they are whining and cryeing babies and so on.GEEZ,I LOVE HOW ALL THESE NASCAR SUDDENLY IMPROVISED ENGLISH AND SPELLING TUTORS ARE CONSTANTLY THEMSELVES IN AN OCEAN OF CONTRADDICTION.
==Contraddiction is the MOTHER OF ALL LIES said once a past famous president.-- LOVE YOUR POSTS.
Reply
9-27-2007 @ 1:09AM
Don Emerson said...
CJ, you are so far off base there's not enough rope in the world to pull you back in. Kyle has never had the first class equipment that crybabies like Hamlin take for granted. Whatever he's made from his career in racing, he's earned with the sweat of his brow, learning his trade from the ground up. Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. Michael Waltrip had no wins at all for years until he got on at DEI. Did he suddenly learn how to drive...no, he just found himself in first class equipment. READ,STOP,THINK....duh...get it? As for his looks,I like them a lot more than I do the Madison Avenue poster boys with their manicured nails, and slick images that flood the field today. Now go paint your toe nails and see if you can find out what Britney is up to now.
Reply
9-27-2007 @ 4:08AM
annaseitter said...
AND HOW MANY WINS HAS MICHAEL WALTRIP HAS ACHIEVED AT DEI?LETS SEE: 2daytona 500 and 2 more wins besize those in the many years he was at DEI with that top equipment.THAT'S ALL!.KYLE PETTY may be a generous good hearted person but for the last 10 years or more,he would been much more productive if he had spent his time running the PETTY ENTERPRISE or the JUNCTION CAMP. AS a driver he has been worst than michael waltrip.WERE ARE THE WINS AND TOP 5's?.
SORRY EMERSON I CANNOT AGREE TO YOUR LAST ONE.
DOES NOT WORK FOR ME.
Reply
9-27-2007 @ 9:42AM
Kim said...
Anna:
First off, you seem like a very angry person. I thought we cleared all these anger issues up on a previous board, but apparently you harbor a grudge. Second: Not one single person has attacked your grammar or spelling recently, although if they did, they would be in the right. It is what it is! But like I said to you on a previous board, this isn't a spelling class, so just speak your mind the way you want and your point will get across. Now, please bury that hatchet!
And third: You are flat out wrong about comparing Michael Waltrip to Kyle Petty this year. The last time I checked, Waltrip couldn't even make it into a race this season unless he was a previous winner at that particular track. As far as I can remember, Kyle Petty has at least made it into every single race this season by actually qualifying to get in! Big difference there.
And lastly, I NEVER contradict myself. I stand by my comments that Denny deserved what he got from Petty. And no, I don't think it's okay that Stewart acts like an aggressive ass each week because it's a constant with him. It's part of who he is. Petty was moving out of the way for ALL the chase drivers. Denny became impatient and wrecked the both of them. HE (DENNY) hurt his chances in the race, not Kyle Petty!
Kim
Reply
9-27-2007 @ 10:03AM
CJ said...
I tell you, i love Ricky Rudd. I mean, he's one hell of a race car driver, but his career is all but dead. I was excited when he came back from his year off, and hoped he'd get the wins that he use to achieve at a constant level. But they didnt come, so what's he doing now? Retiring and rightfully to do so. The veterans, Mark, Rusty, and Ricky realize that their time is up and that they are not running for the wins and championships like they use to, and are stepping away when the time is right! So why cant Kyle and Mikey get this thru their ignorant minds? What validates either one of them to stay in when their combined win totals is not even a quarter to how many Rusty or Mark had, so again, what validates them? Nothing! Ricky qualified for every race, and he's saving face, but then again, Waltrip and Kyle doesnt have much of a great image to tarnish anyways! It's nice to see finally someone with some common sense, and her name is annasetter! And the rest who take up for Kyle, anna is right, you all are a bunch of hypocrites!
Reply