Dale Earnhardt Jr. is providing the definitive word on whether Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin have a rivalry brewing.
The Cup Series duo have been reluctant to call their beef a rivalry, but after another incident in Nashville continued their anger towards each other, Earnhardt Jr. explained that it doesn’t matter what Larson and Hamlin say, he’s solidifying them as rivals moving forward.
“Hamlin and Larson, there was a debate on Denny’s show about it being a rivalry. This debate has been going on for two weeks. Last week, Denny said it was not a rivalry. This week, he slipped up and said it was. So, I think it’s a rivalry. It’s been a rivalry, since way back in Pocono, when Larson ended up in the fence there. It’s been a rivalry,” Earnhardt Jr. said, via the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download. “Drivers that are in rivalries aren’t the ones to ask about it being a rivalry. It’s our choice. It’s the public’s choice, whether it’s a rivalry or not.
“We decide that. … That stuff happens organically, and it’s happened — it is happening. Denny and Larson, they are rivals.”
Even if Larson and Hamlin won’t officially call a spade a spade, Earnhardt Jr. believes that subconsciously they’re battling more than ever, keeping their own tally marks on who gets the better of the other week-in and week-out.
“I think (Larson) said that really well, but anytime they’re racing around each other, and there’s something on the line — if it’s in the middle of the stage, and they’re battling for fifth, they race each other really well. It’s these moments, which happen quite often, because they’re both very talented, and they’re both in great race cars, it’s these moments when it boils down to the end of the stage, or there’s something on the line, and there’s a couple few corners or a few laps to go, when one takes advantage of the other,” Earnhardt Jr. added. “They’ve both done it, and it’s great for us. I hope it continues, especially now, with them talking about it, and they, maybe even unconsciously, start keeping score, and nobody wants to lose a battle.
“So I think Hamlin and Larson, anytime they can duke it out and get aggressive with each other on the race track, and use each other up, and piss each other off, it’s a good thing for all of us.”
Alas, it’s hard to call Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin’s multiple spats anything less than a rivalry, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. recognizes that. We’ll see when the next chapter in their beef is written, and it could come as soon as this weekend, as NASCAR heads to Chicago for what should be an awesome event.
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