NASCAR Kansas 2016 recap: Denny Hamlin’s pass attempt that failed shows why winning is empowering

Though it may not have been big, the opening was too tempting to resist. Especially with only a handful of laps remaining and a possible victory hanging in the balance.

So Denny Hamlin went for it Saturday night at Kansas Speedway. He tried to wedge between Brad Keselowski, who occupied the bottom lane, and Kyle Larson, stationed in the upper groove against the wall, as they fought for the second position behind leader Kyle Busch with 27 laps left.

The move was forceful, but not unexpected considering Hamlin had little to lose. Having won the season-opening Daytona 500, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver had essentially assured himself a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff. That gave Hamlin a virtual free pass to pursue wins aggressively for the remainder of the regular season, as points were of little consequence.

Which meant when presented with opportunities like the one Saturday night, Hamlin didn’t have to exercise prudence. Nor is there much concern when high-risk moves backfire, just as Hamlin’s did.

The disturbance in air caused Hamlin and Keselowski to lose control and spin simultaneously -- Keselowski harmlessly to the apron, Hamlin up the track and impeding the path of Joey Logano, who had nowhere to go and slammed into Hamlin’s prone car.

“I was just going for it there because I knew our car had some speed,” Hamlin said. “I was on two tires and the guys in front of me were on none or two. I was just going for it. I’ve got the win and that’s part of this format is going for it and that’s what we did.”

Seemingly Hamlin’s brazen attempts to pass should have triggered talk of retribution. And yet Logano described it as “just racing,” while Larson wondered on Twitter when his bad luck would change for the better.

As for Keselowski, the mindset of going for it because you have little to lose is one he can relate to and why he was nonplussed over Hamlin eliminating any chance he had to take the Kansas win. With a pair of wins already this season Keselowski, like Hamlin, has, for all intents and purposes, secured his Chase berth.

Because to win early in the regular season is empowering. Gone are the fears of a bad result with accruing more wins becoming almost the sole focus.

“I’m disappointed, but I don’t think there was anything malicious,” Keselowski said. “We’re just all racing for wins and that was everybody’s shot to win the race.

“That’s where everybody is that’s won a race.”