Neither Kurt Busch or Denny Hamlin could be considered overwhelming fan favorites, but many NASCAR fans took a side Sunday.
While Ryan Blaney went on to take victory at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, arguably the most dramatic moment of the day happened at the start of Stage 2.
During the restart, it got a bit packed. As drivers attempted to start strong, it created the perfect storm for some form of crash. Kurt Busch was the unlucky victim of one of those moves.
It doesn’t seem like he caught a lot, but Denny Hamlin, driving the No. 11 car, clipped Busch and forced Busch into the wall. Watch the video below.
There’s a bit of friction, but Hamlin’s final touch is the killer for Kurt Busch. The wreck was harsh enough to end his day completely.
Needless to say, NASCAR fans didn’t think highly of Hamlin. @TitanRacing007 told Kurt Busch to not get too down over it.
“Don’t worry @KurtBusch you didn’t deserve to be put into the wall like that, @dennyhamlin is a [poop emoji.]”
Another user, @Hammer_95, didn’t hold back on Denny Hamlin.
“Oh look, Denny talks crap yesterday and then dumps a guy today. Classless racer and just runs guys over instead of racing clean. Bravo @dennyhamlin“
The onslaught continued with @Allbrick55.
“Get so tired of @dennyhamlin acting like he never does anything wrong! No matter how you look at it…He dumped @KurtBusch Yes Denny off the front of your bumper the #1 went spinning! Pissed isn’t the word!!! Especially when Kurt had a top 5 car! @NASCAR#FoldsofHonorQuikTrip500“
We’ll wrap with @RBNicholsJr, who referenced the driver’s social media.
“@dennyhamlin needs to spend less time on Twitter and more time figuring out how to not crash people.”
NASCAR Star Kurt Busch Sounds Off on Wreck, Denny Hamlin
After his day was concluded, Busch was asked about how he felt with the wreck. Exasperated and understandably disappointed, he didn’t hold much back.
“It’s just dude, bro,” Busch said. “It’s a 500-miler. These are the days that hurt the worst. This absolutely hurts the worst because we had a top-five, Monster Energy-winning Chevy, and I’m sitting here talking with you guys. I’m pretty pissed off. It’s a restart. Where are we going to go, man? Just chill.”
It’s hard not to feel for Busch, because it was a bad beat to say the least. However, it’s very early in the season and he’ll already be looking to the Pinty’s Dirt Race next Saturday.
