"There's no way you can be that dumb": Denny Hamlin comes up with a theory analyzing Austin Hill-Aric Almirola incident at Indy

Denny Hamlin has given his assessment on the Austin Hill–Aric Almirola incident from the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin analyzed the controversial crash and came up with a theory on how the crash may have occurred.

Hamlin was referring to how Austin Hill’s No. 21 car made heavy contact with Aric Almirola’s No. 19 in Turn 4, causing a major crash and raising questions about intent. The incident happened late in the Pennzoil 250 and quickly became the most talked-about moment of the weekend.

Hamlin said that he didn't believe Austin Hill would be reckless enough to make such an obvious move on purpose. Instead, Hamlin theorized that the hit might have been the result of a steering correction gone wrong. As he explained it, when Hill was trying to save the car from spinning, he might’ve let the wheel rotate in his hands and then caught it at a different angle, causing the car to sharply turn left unintentionally.

"I know his hand is right here, but you got to understand what I'm saying is that the wheel has clocked because he let it spin on his hands. So, this is not straight up anymore." He added, " I'm just coming up with a theory. That's all. It looked like he right rear hooked the 19. I'm just saying there's no way you can be that dumb." [52:25 onwards]

Hamlin also brought up how public opinion worked against Austin Hill. Fans generally don’t give him the benefit of the doubt, partly because of his past aggressive racing style at places like Martinsville. Still, Hamlin insisted he was trying to see things from Hill’s point of view.

Austin Hill will now sit out this weekend's race at Iowa Speedway after NASCAR handed him a one-race suspension. The penalty was issued after his contact with Aric Almirola sent the No. 19 Toyota nose-first into the wall and out of the race.

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Industry backlash against Austin Hill intensifies

Austin Hill faced sharp criticism from NASCAR insiders and former drivers after the incident. Many believe his suspension should have come during the race weekend itself.

The Door Bumper Clear podcast, a popular outlet among NASCAR fans and insiders, tackled the topic head-on. Tommy Baldwin, speaking via Dirty Mo Media, was blunt in his opinion. He said:

“Yeah, it was bullsh*t. This happens all the time with Austin. He loses his cool as soon as somebody messes with him a little bit, he should be suspended. That was, could have been devastating.”

Former NASCAR driver Mark Martin also criticized Hill’s actions, saying he believed in settling things face-to-face, not on track. Baldwin added,

“I don’t care what they say from this point on about the situation. They have no explanation.”

At the time of the crash, Aric Almirola was racing in the top five. His DNF dropped him to 35th in a 38-car field. Austin Hill ended one position ahead, five laps down.

Richard Childress, when asked about the penalty, pushed back by accusing NASCAR of biased decision-making. He pointed out that Austin Cindric, who drives for powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, wasn’t penalized earlier in the year for a similar move at COTA.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee