NASCAR Cup Series Advent Health 400
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Denny Hamlin had gone 33 races without a win. Ross Chastain wrecked about 33 drivers in that time period (or so it seems). On Sunday at Kansas Speedway, we saw what happens when frustration for a driver boils over.

First up was Hamlin, already facing complex contract renewal negotiations at Joe Gibbs Racing ,combined with a litany of pit crew mistakes that left him vocally criticizing the program after Dover. During the course of Hamlin's drought, four of the other five full-time Toyota drivers have reached victory lane, including both 23XI Racing cars at the organization Hamlin co-owns.

"I don't want to waste my last handful of years giving away wins," he said entering the weekend. "I don't have that kind of time [at age 42]."

So, Hamlin took matters into his own hands. While running second, he bumped good friend Kyle Larson on the backstretch during the final lap in Sunday's Advent Health 400. The contact stuffed Larson into the wall while Hamlin's No. 11 cruised by unchallenged to earn JGR its 400th win in NASCAR.

Fair play or dirty move? Let's just say Larson wasn't running to victory lane to offer congrats after leading a race-high 85 laps.

"[Hamlin] was side-drafting really aggressively but he was touching me... he finally touched me enough to turn me right," Larson, who hadn't yet seen a replay to see the extent of the contact, said. "I want to be upset."

Hamlin said it all had to do with what part of the car he made contact with

"It's just a super sensitive part of the car if you get to the left rear," Hamlin explained. "And obviously, it hooked [Larson] to the right, and we won. The end."

Don't take that as Hamlin misunderstanding Larson's anger, though. He just has a self-stated goal for 60 wins, and it had been nearly a year since one.

"Kyle Larson is the most talented race car driver in the world," added Hamlin's own crew chief, Chris Gabehart, "But Denny Hamlin beat him today."

The word "beat" took on a different meaning over on pit road in an entirely different situation, as Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain exited their cars. Gragson, upset over earlier contact between them, caused a confrontation that ended with punches being thrown.

It's the first time Chastain used his fists off the track, but far from the first time the Cup point leader has hit someone on it. Take your pick, from Denny Hamlin to Chase Elliott to Kyle Larson (via Brennan Poole turned into a pinball) just last week at Dover.

"Nobody confronts the guy," Gragson said after the race. "The guy just runs into everyone... everyone's just sick and tired of him, but nobody has the b---s to go up and get him. Everybody else races super hard and super respectful, but you've got one d-----bag in the field who doesn't."

It's the most physical payback yet toward Chastain, coming from a rival in Gragson who built his reputation in the NASCAR Xfinity Series by using similar aggressive tactics. The duo both drive for Chevrolet and train together, a bond that meant little once contact happened on-track.

"He did the same thing after Talladega [last month]," Chastain claimed. "At the plane, and nothing happened. But that wasn't the first time he approached me like that. Everybody handles [being approached] differently, and I handled it in my own way."

Those choices will likely end with fines and penalties imposed by NASCAR, where a Chastain punch likely crosses the line for series officials. But you wonder if this moment opens the floodgates for other drivers to stand up to Chastain, or at least causes a more conservative approach from him. His own winless drought stands at over a year, hard racing leading to hard wrecks instead of trophies.

Traffic Report

Green: Toyota -- That's two straight wins and three of five for a manufacturer who started 2023 a bit off track. Now, they're red hot and poaching rivals for reinforcements: Legacy Motor Club and Jimmie Johnson's program will switch from Chevrolet next season with drivers Gragson and Erik Jones.

Yellow: William Byron -- It was an up-and-down race for this polesitter. As Byron explained himself, "We all but wrecked twice, went three laps down and came back to finish third -- it's just incredible." The downside is another missed opportunity for a win during what could be a dominant season. Byron's failed to win twice after starting up front and another two times after leading the most laps during a race.

Red: Harrison Burton -- A mid-race wreck left Burton limping to the finish in 30th, the 26th straight race this sophomore has finished outside the top 10. Burton now sits a whopping 114 points outside the playoffs, 31st in points with a Wood Brothers Racing program that expected far better.

Speeding Ticket: Aric Almirola -- Almirola's mid-race wreck was the eighth time in 12 races he's either spun or caused a caution flag. Remember, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver unretired to come back full-time this year. Think he regrets it?

Oops!

Add Kyle Busch to the list of angry drivers after Kansas, misjudging a move on the backstretch before ending his day with the No. 8 spinning hard into the inside wall.

Busch, explaining some earlier radio frustration, turned his criticism directly toward NASCAR's Next Gen chassis.

"It's a product of the car," Busch said. "You're three-tenths faster than a guy, you run him down from half a straightaway back, and then you just stall when you get there. And you can't maneuver, and you can't pass, so then all they do is aero-block you and pinch you and make you burn your tires up. And then, you get passed by the guy that was behind you.

"So, it's just not what it once was. It's just terrible racing."