NASCAR crew chief calls out Denny Hamlin after Talladega wreck

NASCAR Cup Series star Denny Hamlin found himself under fire from one of his rivals' crew chiefs following Sunday's race at Talladega.

The Jack Link's 500 was won by Team Penske's Austin Cindric in his No. 2 Ford, but at certain stages of the race, the Toyotas were looking strong, with the likes of Hamlin and team-mate Christopher Bell looking to make their mark on proceedings.

However, on lap 52, things went wrong, with Bell wrecking in a huge collision and taking Chris Buescher out with him in the process.

The incident occurred whilst Bell was being given a push from behind by Hamlin, with Buescher's crew chief, Scott Graves, taking to X mid-race to call out the No. 11 driver.

"This team works so hard every week, had our driver in position for the end of stage 1, and the guys that would consider themselves some of the best drivers in the world can't even get through a restart," Graves fumed in his X post.

Graves even poked fun at the fact that Hamlin is sponsored by an insurance company, Progressive, adding: "I see why you have an insurance sponsor Denny Hamlin, can I file a claim?"

This team works so hard every week, had our driver in position for the end of stage 1, and the guys that would consider themselves some of the best drivers in the world can't even get through a restart. I see why you have an insurance sponsor @dennyhamlin, can I file a claim?

— Scott Graves (@scott_r_graves) April 27, 2025

Chris Buescher on Talladega wreck

After the incident, both Bell and Buescher were released from the medical center, with the latter admitting that the incident caught him by surprise.

"I don’t expect it there,” Buescher explained, via Racer.

“That was still, what, 10 laps to go in the first stage? That’s a lot of time to find your position and get to racing and be smart about where we’re pushing.

"And maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, maybe it was just a freak deal, but I just feel like we know you can’t start pushing in the middle of the corner or on exit.

"You have to be straight to some extent, just like we know not to push through the tri-oval.”

READ MORE: NASCAR announce multiple drivers DISQUALIFIED at Talladega including Cup Series champion

Related

NASCAR Cup Series Standings

Team Penske suffer double blow after Joey Logano hit with Cup Series disqualification

• Today 15:09

NASCAR Today

NASCAR Today: Disgruntled driver issues protest verdict, Multiple Cup Series stars hit with Talladega penalties

• Today 13:05