TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 26: Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing King s Hawaiian UBE Coconut Rolls Toyota looks on prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Jack Links 500 on April 26, 2026, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega AL. Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire AUTO: APR 26 NASCAR Cup Series Jack Links 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2604262724
TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 26: Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing King s Hawaiian UBE Coconut Rolls Toyota looks on prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Jack Links 500 on April 26, 2026, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega AL. Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire AUTO: APR 26 NASCAR Cup Series Jack Links 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2604262724
Bubba Wallace's penalty at Atlanta sparked a major controversy. And in a surprising turn of events, Denny Hamlin, the man who owns Wallace's 23XI Racing team, believed Wallace was in the wrong.
Hamlin recently dissected the Quaker State 400 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and this was when he put the blame on Wallace and justified Ty Gibbs' confrontation with him on the pit road. He said in the latest Actions Detrimental podcast:
"I definitely think if you make a block that is forcing others to check up hard, you have to be okay with the consequence that that person's not going to lift enough to save you. And I think this was some one of those situations where it was that was a tough ask to ask the 54 to check up that much.
SAN DIEGO, CA - JUNE 21: A forlorn Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing Xfinity Toyota sits after getting out of his car at the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Anduril 250 Race the Base on June 21, 2026, at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, CA. Photo by Larry Placido/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUN 21 NASCAR Cup Series Anduril 250 Race the Base EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon788260621101250
SAN DIEGO, CA - JUNE 21: A forlorn Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing Xfinity Toyota sits after getting out of his car at the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Anduril 250 Race the Base on June 21, 2026, at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, CA. Photo by Larry Placido/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUN 21 NASCAR Cup Series Anduril 250 Race the Base EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon788260621101250
While Wallace had a different problem to deal with by the end of the race, Hamlin was referring to the end of Stage 2. Heading to the green-white-checkered finish, Wallace was closely followed by Ty Gibbs.
As Gibbs bumped into Wallace, the latter spun out, costing him a finish that would have netted him bonus points in the Chase. That's why following the race, Wallace confronted Gibbs, but Hamlin doesn't think Gibbs was in the wrong.
"But there was just so big of a speed variance. But I understand why the 23 did it because you know the you know he doesn't want to lose that one spot," he further added on the podcast.
In the end, Wallace finished 29th in the race. That was thanks to the penalty that hit Wallac, as he lost 27 crucial championship points for the Chase, and now has just 55 points above the provisional cutline. Ryan Blaney won the race, ahead of Christopher Bell and Carson Hocevar.
What did Bubba Wallace say about Ty Gibbs?
Following the conclusion of the Atlanta race, Bubba Wallace was furious and did not hold back from calling Ty Gibbs out, as he felt the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was the man responsible for it.
After the race, NASCAR went through the SMT data and clarified that Wallace used the line to gain an advantage and triggered the penalty. However, about Gibbs, here's what the No. 23 driver said in the post-race interview as quoted by NASCAR.com:
“That move should have propelled us to the lead, and it didn’t because I knew it was wrong because my car did not like that move. We will see what we can do, but I did not advance my position. I stayed third from the entry to three, all the way until 50 yards away, [Ty Gibbs] gave us a shot.”
Gibbs, however, decided to confront Wallace and stated that he received "a lot of disrespect" from the veteran driver. He finished the race in fourth place, ahead of Erik Jones, to complete the top five.
You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!
Written by
Sabyasachi Biswas
Edited by
Siddharth Shirwadkar