The NASCAR Cup Series makes its second trip to Richmond of the year this weekend with a handful of playoff spots still up for grabs<\/p>\n
With that time winding down before the playoffs things are becoming even more tense at the ends of races, as evidenced by last week’s outing in Pocono<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the final stage, several cautions saw tempers flare as things drastically slowed down on the track. Chase Briscoe<\/strong>, Austin Dillon<\/strong>, Alex Bowman<\/strong>, and Justin Haley<\/strong> all found their way into the wall forcing drivers to navigate multiple late restarts.<\/p>\n It was on one of those restarts that the battle at the front reached a boiling point. Kyle Larson<\/strong>, who had fought his way back after being spun around in Stage 2, was sent into the wall by Denny Hamlin<\/strong> at the exit of Turn 1.<\/p>\n Hamlin maintains that he made no contact with Larson, but you can take a look below and decide for yourself.<\/p>\n For all of the drama, the race ended with a fizzle. With two laps to go, Ryan Preece<\/strong> spun around and was sitting idle on the track. NASCAR delayed calling a caution in hopes that Preece could get going but was forced to throw the yellow flag when it became evident he was stuck.<\/p>\n The yellow came just after Hamlin took the white flag, ending the race under caution<\/a> and giving Hamlin his seventh Pocono victory. It was an unpopular move among fans and it raised questions about NASCAR’s officiating.<\/p>\n The reasoning behind the call makes sense, but the execution was poor. Let’s hope the attention remains on the drivers this weekend in Richmond.<\/p>\n What are your thoughts on the Denny Hamlin & Kyle Larson incident? pic.twitter.com\/LPrSv24OhN<\/a><\/p>\n — NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nHamlin and Larson come together<\/h4>\n
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