Team owner Rick Hendrick had a zippy response Tuesday to the feud between Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin sparked this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
With seven laps remaining in the scheduled distance of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 finale, Bowman made a brush with Hamlin while battling for the lead after his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet broke loose entering Turn 3. Hamlin spun out from Bowman’s contact while the 48 drove off to its fourth victory of 2021 in an overtime finish. The incident nearly ended Hamlin’s hopes for a title, but he was ultimately able to make the Championship 4.
After the race, Hamlin interrupted Bowman’s celebration on the front stretch and proceeded to blast him in his post-race interview with NBC, saying “he’s just a hack. Just an absolute hack,” among other comments stemming from the frustration.
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On Tuesday afternoon during the Championship 4 owners’ press conference, Hendrick was quick to defend his driver.
“Describe a hack. I don’t know what a hack is,” Hendrick said. “But you know, he’s won four races this year. Denny’s won two. I think Denny just lost it Sunday and, you know, Alex races everybody clean. He’s a good soldier, the sponsors love him, the crowd loves him. I think when you’re in the middle of a disappointment and you’re frustrated and mad, you might say things that you wouldn’t say normally. But if he’s a hack I’d like to have more of them.”
The 72-year-old owner has two drivers set to battle for a title in Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) — Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. Larson is making his first Championship 4 appearance, while Elliott looks to defend his 2020 title.