NASCAR: 3 new rivalries that we did not see coming

Rivalry No. 2: Chase Briscoe vs. Denny Hamlin

The rivalry between Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell seemed to escalate on a road course, and it was a road course race that started this rivalry between Stewart Haas Racing rookie Chase Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin.

This one started at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. In an overtime finish, Hamlin appeared to run Briscoe wide entering turn one, sending Briscoe off course. After Briscoe rejoined the track, he was issued a stop-go penalty by NASCAR, despite the fact that he had given Hamlin the position back.

With Hamlin only needing less than two laps to secure what would have been his first victory of the season, Briscoe spun him out thinking he was still racing for the win. Even though Hamlin said he felt like it “wasn’t malicious”, he did say that it was bad judgment on Briscoe’s part.

Hamlin might not have viewed it as a malicious act, but spotter Chris Lambert did when he told Hamlin, “He’s wrecking us.” This led to a heated conversation on pit road as well as an investigation by NASCAR into the radio of the #14 Ford to determine whether or not Briscoe knew he had been issued a penalty before spinning Hamlin out.

While cooler heads may have prevailed, Hamlin is still in the playoffs, while Briscoe is not. Should the two cross paths before the season ends, both know what’s at stake.

With Briscoe being a solid road course racer, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval is a key track at which to look out for the 26-year-old to potentially pick up his first career Cup Series win. Theoretically, Hamlin could prevent this, while Briscoe could prevent Hamlin from his first championship.