DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (AP) - Get ready for a C.E. Falk III vs. Kyle Larson rematch.
Denny Hamlin invited the two drivers who became embroiled in the must-see finish of Speedweeks to drive in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown in April.
Larson spun leader C.E. Falk III coming out of the final turn to win the inaugural Battle at the Beach on Monday night. The finish sparked debate about whether the 20-year-old Larson, considered NASCAR’s next big star, should have been penalized for intentionally wrecking Falk.
Falk finished third. He was furious at the end and said he got “monster-trucked.” Larson tweeted, “not my proudest moment in racing.”
The finish had big names in all of auto racing talking and tweeting. Hamlin noticed and extended the invite to Larson. Felk is a former winner in the event, slated for April 25 at Richmond International Raceway.
The race serves as a fundraiser for the Denny Hamlin Cystic Fibrosis Research Lab at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Darrell Wallace Jr., and Michael Waltrip will race against some of the best Late Model stock car drivers in the region.
While the last-lap spin got plenty of attention, Hamlin said wrecking another driver was uncalled for in NASCAR even though it happens in the developmental series.
“There is no payback to be had because it’s just a one-off race and he knows he don’t have to answer to that guy the next week,” Hamlin said. “That’s why you don’t see it in the Cup series and on down with the guys that run regular, because they know that if they take some guy out, he’s going to get it right back the next week.”
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