Denny Hamlin weighs in on Ryan Blaney helping Joey Logano to playoff win

In the closing laps of Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney appeared to give Team Penske teammate Joey Logano some help in fending off a hard-charging Christopher Bell.

It certainly looked like Blaney, a lap car at the time, was dirtying the air behind Logano, though he said otherwise after the race. Denny Hamlin, speaking on Monday’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast, explained the advantage Blaney could have given Logano, who held on to take the checkered flag and advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix on Nov. 10.

“My quick reaction was yeah, certainly and especially if I was told to,” Hamlin said. “But I didn’t think about how Logano winning does hurt Blaney’s point situation. We’ve seen the Penske teammates work well if not the best of any of helping each other in those types of situations. What that was helping was by having the 12 [Blaney] around you, he’s helping push you down the straightaway even if he’s not physically pushing, it’s taking drag off your car which allows it to go faster down the straightaway with you having to run less throttle.

“… He had an ally there that was around him helping him down the straightaways which allowed him to save fuel and run the speed to pass the 99 [Daniel Suárez] and get the win.”

Ryan Blaney fires back at claims he ‘played defense’ for Joey Logano during Las Vegas finish

Bell got to within a second of Logano on the final lap, but simply ran out of time. He felt that Blaney was blocking for Logano, however, he thought it was fair game.

“Regardless of how much time he had, the 12 car was with Joey trying to play defense for him. So, it was going to take the right move to get by him, but we had, what was it, 30 almost 40 lap newer tires? … I think it’s fair game and you know, props to him,” Bell said, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “I think the 22 winning was probably bad for the 12. Because they’re racing each other for points to get in. So, you know, Penske, they won the race and got one car in, so they did it right.”

Blaney seemed to take exception to Bell’s allegation.

“20 didn’t get to me until the last corner,” Blaney said. “I don’t know what the hell you think I’m blocking for. I’m running the top, I’m not taking anyone’s air away. He should have maybe got to the 22 quicker, he would have been able to pass me pretty easy. But he was half a lap too late.