In NASCAR, just like how a driver having a payback against the other goes a long way, favors too go a long way. At Kansas, Denny Hamlin might’ve earned himself not one but two favors by his actions on the track, to the point where one of his fellow drivers defended him online. Denny Hamlin deemed the GOAT by Todd Gilliland for his kind gesture At one point during the Cup race at Kansas, where Denny Hamlin led the majority of the laps, he began passing the lapped cars.

One of those cars was that of Todd Gilliland, who decided to stay with him and followed him as Hamlin went through the race. This helped Gilliland as he gained close to six spots in that sequence. But then Hamlin did a ‘very very retro’ and old school gesture as per Matt Weaver.

The JGR veteran gifted Gilliland a lead lap spot coming to the line. But this gesture of Hamlin’s wasn’t something that Travis Rockhold, who is a member of his podcast Actions Detrimental, appreciated. “I don’t like it.

And have made my feelings known in the Denny Bros group text,” Rockhold jokingly wrote. However, instead of Todd Gilliland, Rockhold’s remark incited a reaction out of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who wrote, “I don’t care about your feelings, and appreciate DHs help.” I don’t care about your feelings, and appreciate DHs help. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (@StenhouseJr) April 19, 2026 While Stenhouse’s reaction may seem out of place at first, it is very valid. This is because Gilliland wasn’t the only lapped car that Denny Hamlin helped.

As one fan pointed out, Hamlin said on his radio that he let Gilliland pass on the lead lap so Ricky Stenhouse Jr. could get the free pass. Upon learning this, the NASCAR insider claimed that instead of just Gilliland, now “two guys owe him one.” Todd Gilliland also expressed his appreciation online for the #11 driver as he replied, “Your my GOAT Denny Hamlin,” to Weaver’s post. So far, Hamlin hasn’t shared his version of these events in the race online.

But that could soon change as Stenhouse is all set to be the guest of the week on his podcast, where fans can expect them to not just address the #11 driver helping him and Gilliland, but Stenhouse will also get a chance to continue his banter with Rockhold. Now, Hamlin’s gesture towards Stenhouse and Gilliland is surely a heartwarming moment of a senior driver being kind and helpful towards lapped cars. But it’s also worth mentioning that over the years, the veteran has had a bittersweet relationship with lapped cars as well.

Hamlin has a bittersweet relationship with lapped cars Following his win earlier this season at Las Vegas, Denny Hamlin explained how lapped cars can help a race leader in their quest to win a race. “What’s interesting on the mile-and-a-halves is, if the cars in front of you are on better tires, you’re actually getting a draft,” Hamlin said. “It actually helps you run faster with a car out in front, as long as it isn’t detrimental to your actual cornering ability.” He claimed that because of lapped cars, he was able to maintain his lead a little better for a small period of time.

But years ago, the same driver had also blamed lapped traffic for costing him the Brickyard 400. After missing out on the crown jewel win in 2018, Hamlin called out a late race caution incited by an incident between Jeffrey Earnhardt and Landon Cassill, which eventually led to a restart, where Brad Keselowski came out on top against Hamlin. Interestingly, that was more or less once again the story at Kansas on Sunday.

As Hamlin was mere seconds away in the lead from the white flag, Cody Ware’s incident caused a caution, forcing the race into overtime, which eventually saw the #11 driver lose out on the race. So it can be concluded that Denny Hamlin has a bittersweet relationship with lapped traffic. At times it has helped him, and at times it has cost him. But now that he has helped two lapped drivers in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Todd Gilliland, he’d be hopeful that it comes back to help him when he contends for the championship later this season.