On NASCAR America, Kyle Petty said Monday’s STP 500 was the “most non-aggressive Martinsville race I’ve probably ever seen in my life.
“And I’ve been going to Martinsville for a long, long time,” Petty continued.
With four cautions, only one for a crash, the half-mile track saw its fewest yellow flags in a Cup race since 1978.
The most controversial run-in during the 500-lap race was between Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick as they ran in the top five with less than 125 laps to go.
After getting bumped by Harvick a couple of times, Hamlin let the No. 4 Ford by. But Hamlin responded with his own taps to Harvick’s rear bumper.
Soon after, Hamlin ran into the back of Harvick as they exited Turn 4. The contact caused significant damage to Hamlin’s front end and he eventually finished 12th.
Harvick denied brake checking Hamlin, which the Joe Gibbs Racing driver doesn’t buy.
Petty said the incident and the passive aggressive comments by the two drivers afterward is nothing to get excited about, especially compared to Hamlin’s run-in with Chase Elliott at the track in October.
“It’s short-track racing,” Petty said. “You’re going to bump people, you’re going to root them out-of-the-way. ... All we have today to talk about is a caved-in front end on a Toyota of Denny Hamlin. That’s not a lot to talk about coming out of Martinsville.”
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