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AVONDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 18: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Insurance Toyota, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway on October 18, 2026 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Denny Hamlin was having such a miserable afternoon at Phoenix Raceway that he found himself rooting for something most NASCAR drivers<\/a> would rather avoid: a wreck.<\/p>\n And he knew exactly which driver he wanted involved.<\/p>\n As Carson Hocevar and Ross Chastain traded blows on the track during Sunday\u2019s Freeway Insurance 500<\/a>, Hamlin watched from behind, hoping their increasingly aggressive battle would end with a caution flag.<\/p>\n The reason was simple. Hamlin was a lap down, and a yellow flag could give him the free pass he desperately needed.<\/p>\n On the latest episode of his \u201cActions Detrimental\u201d podcas<\/a>t, Hamlin admitted he was pulling for Hocevar to do what Hocevar has become rather notorious for doing.<\/p>\n Denny Hamlin Admits He Was Cheering for Carson Hocevar to Cause a Wreck<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I was right behind this, and man, I wish Carson would have ended up wiping them out,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cHe did get run into.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamlin was referring to the late-race battle between Hocevar and Chastain, which grew increasingly heated as the two drivers made contact.<\/p>\n From Hamlin\u2019s vantage point, the situation looked like it was heading toward a wreck.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the drivers ran into Carson. Ross did. Well, they were trying to wreck each other for\u2026 I\u2019m sure there\u2019ll be some video come out here in the next day or so. They were taking major swipes at each other. I saw Carson take a major swipe at the No. 1 mid-corner and miss.\u201d<\/p>\n Then came the admission that made his account particularly entertaining.<\/p>\n \u201cAs someone that was sitting in the lucky dog position, I was like, \u2018Please wreck. Come on, just\u2026 Carson, I\u2019m rooting for you. Just do Carson things here.’\u201d<\/p>\n Hamlin didn\u2019t get the caution he wanted, but he certainly got an entertaining view of the battle.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he was so close. Damn it,\u201d Hamlin added.<\/p>\n For a driver trying to salvage a difficult afternoon, watching two competitors come tantalizingly close to crashing without actually bringing out a yellow was apparently its own kind of frustration.<\/p>\n Hamlin Questions Hocevar\u2019s Decision Before Zane Smith Confrontation<\/p>\n Hamlin also offered an interesting perspective on the contact that helped set off the post-race confrontation between Hocevar and Zane Smith<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to Hamlin, Chastain sent Hocevar toward Turn 3 during their battle, but what happened next caught his attention.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was interesting about when Ross sent him in there is Carson didn\u2019t hit the brakes,\u201d Hamlin said.<\/p>\n Hamlin suggested Hocevar might have deliberately carried his speed into the corner, even with other cars in his path.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s like, you\u2019re going to run into me. I\u2019m going to just\u2026 I\u2019m just going to carry that speed all the way in. Whoever I run into, I run into.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Hamlin acknowledged another possible explanation: Hocevar might have been struggling to regain control of his car.<\/p>\n He ultimately made contact with two drivers, whom Hamlin identified as Smith and Josh Berry.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he ended up getting two guys. I think it was Zane and Josh Berry. I mean, two guys that have no love for Carson whatsoever. Right? So anyway, nothing really happened. They just made contact.\u201d<\/p>\n The tension didn\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n After the checkered flag, Smith rammed Hocevar\u2019s No. 77 Chevrolet during the cooldown lap, and the two later exchanged heated words on pit road.<\/p>\n Hamlin, meanwhile, finished 28th, one lap down, after a frustrating day that did little to help his championship hopes.<\/p>\n But even without the caution he was hoping for, the veteran driver had plenty to say about the chaos unfolding directly in front of him.<\/p>\n And his confession that he was actively cheering for Hocevar to cause a wreck might be one of the more entertaining takeaways from an already eventful afternoon at Phoenix<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMaggie MacKenzie<\/a> Maggie MacKenzie covers NASCAR for Heavy.com. She previously worked for NASCAR.com, where she reported, wrote, and edited race-weekend coverage and traveled to key events throughout the season. She has more than ten years of experience in sports media and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. 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