Battling Austin Dillon for P20 at this year’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, Denny Hamlin had a lapse in judgment and crashed into his peer. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver ran through the dirt on the road, slamming into the No. 3 driver and wrecking his race.
Speaking on the “Actions Detrimental” podcast by Dirty Mo Media, Hamlin later revealed that he ended up taking full responsibility for the things that unraveled. Furthermore, he also revealed that he sent a text to Dillon, owning up to his mistake.
Denny Hamlin Reveals What He Said to Austin Dillon
Talking about the Lap 78 crash between him and Dillon, Hamlin said he texted the aggrieved driver to apologize for his mistake. He claimed that he had “run through shit,” and it led to him losing traction. Regardless of the circumstances, he still owned up to his mistake.
“I texted Austin and said, ‘Listen, man, I apologize. I ran through shit.’ It’s no excuse. It’s still on me, no matter what the circumstances. So, it certainly screwed the RCR over in more ways than one.”
Denny Hamlin shared on Actions Detrimental that he apologized to Austin Dillon via text for running into him yesterday at the entry to Turn 6A.
Said that he couldn't see there was dirt on the track in that section until he pulled out from behind Dillon, and compared it to… pic.twitter.com/I3i2nzzyBK
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) March 4, 2025
The JGR driver then went on to detail the moments that led to the crash once he pulled left to overtake Dillon. He could see dirt all over the track, which wasn’t visible while he still held the racing line.
Lined up front-to-back going through the S-turns, Hamlin decided to go further left to get on Dillon’s inside. But when he turned, the No. 11 driver could hear dirt hitting the fenders, forcing him to brake. And as soon as he hit the brakes, the car spun out and wrecked Dillon.
The JGR driver also speculated that the race result could have been very different had it not been for the late caution. Kyle Busch was enjoying the race lead, and it looked like a win was almost guaranteed. However, a late caution potentially threw Busch off his game, allowing Christopher Bell to capitalize with fresher tires.
It isn’t immediately clear how well Hamlin’s apology was taken, although it stands to reason that a veteran taking accountability for his mistakes should be appreciated.
