Denny Hamlin explains his stance on NASCAR driver fights

There was a fair-share of fights between drivers during NASCAR’s Clash at the Coliseum, which prompted Denny Hamlin to lay down the ground rules.

Hamlin’s been around the block a few times, a true veteran of the sport, and he’s had a myriad of beefs attributed to his names. From his rivalries with some of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers to a war of words with Joey Logano, Hamlin doesn’t exactly shy away from you if he has a problem.

After watching Logano and Hamlin’s teammate Ty Gibbs argue, along with drivers like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have problems with multiple people on the track, Hamlin felt the need to explain how fighting in NASCAR should go down.

“I don’t know if there’s an unwritten rule, but certainly it’s not fair, and you’re not really a tough guy if you go up to someone and punch them while they’re in, strapped into the car, that’s just not — I mean, I’ve been in scuffles before, where one of the parties was held down, and you can’t throw a punch on someone when someone else is holding him,” Hamlin stated. “That’s just, that’s just not — some people say there’s no rules when it comes to fighting, but I say that that’s off-limits. If you can’t go one versus one, and you’ve got to have a buddy helping.

“That’s where I kind of drew issues to when me and [Joey] Logano had that issue at Martinsville. One of his crew guys came from behind me and did the old wrap-around my neck with the leg out, and pulled me backwards and threw me to the ground. It’s just, that’s not like a real fight. You should always be face-to-face, in my opinion. … I’m not sure about the unwritten rule, but certainly it’s not a tough guy move to go up to someone’s car when they’re strapped in.”

While Hamlin relayed his feelings on NASCAR’s unwritten rules, he certainly feels some drivers need a reminder on how to act when the time comes to put up or shut up. He gave credit to one of his former rivals in Ross Chastain for standing face-to-face with Noah Gragson before popping him last season, at least.

If The Clash at the Coliseum was any indicator, tempers are going to run high during the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. We’ll see if Denny Hamlin follows his own advice if the time ever comes for him to do so.