Denny Hamlin
left World Wide Technology Raceway with a ninth-place finish and the NASCAR Cup Series points lead still intact after a chaotic playoff race. Kyle Larson won at Gateway and cut into Hamlin’s advantage, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver avoided major damage in a race that featured 18 cautions, two red flags and double overtime.
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Hamlin entered the race fighting to protect his championship position and struggled to find speed throughout the afternoon. His No. 11 Toyota was especially difficult to handle on restarts, while a slow pit stop and brake concerns added to his problems.
Still, Hamlin finished nine points ahead of Larson and 18 points ahead of Christopher Bell as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol.
Denny Hamlin Struggles With NASCAR Restart Speed
Hamlin said
his biggest problem was the lack of speed on restarts. The No. 11 Toyota struggled to turn and maintain momentum, leaving Hamlin vulnerable when the field went back to green.
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“Just not good on restarts. Our car, second half of the race, was just terminally ill and behind other cars and generally speaking, just not good for the first 20 laps of a run,” Hamlin said.
“And we never — so all we had at the end was short runs and would just get swallowed up on restarts, not being very good. And just was fortunate to miss some wrecks there.”
Hamlin said the car lacked front-end grip, which made it harder to keep pace after restarts.
“Just tight. Just front end, not turning, and not being able to keep my momentum up on the restarts. That was, uh, that was the biggest issue,” he said.
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A slow pit stop during the final stage also dropped Hamlin deeper into traffic. He had to recover during the closing laps.
NASCAR Gateway Race Brings Pit Road and Brake Problems
Hamlin also raised concerns about the pit road setup at Gateway. He said the pit wall leaves too little space for crew members working on the cars.
“I’m going to advocate. They need to move this wall. They just need to put a new wall 10 feet back or move this wall. It’s way too tight,” Hamlin said.
“I believe they need to knock this pit wall down and move it, give these pit guys a little bit of room. Because, I mean, I’m nearly rolling over the ankles of the guy who’s changing tires in front. If we’re too wide, it’s just — this is a dangerous pit road for sure.”
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Brake problems also became a concern late in the NASCAR race. Hamlin said he was close to a failure during the final restarts.
“I mean, I would say I was on the verge. I had long-pedaled those last two restarts. So that’s the indication you’re usually about to blow one,” he said.
The long race also took a physical toll on Hamlin. He said he lost his voice during the afternoon and questioned whether the repeated stoppages allowed the brakes to heat soak while the cars sat without airflow.
“It’s just long. I don’t know about grueling, but long. Lost my voice apparently somewhere in the course of the race,” Hamlin said.
Denny Hamlin Keeps NASCAR Cup Series Points Lead
Despite the difficult afternoon, Hamlin left Gateway with control of the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Larson’s victory reduced the gap, but Hamlin still held a nine-point lead.
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“Oh, for sure. I mean, blessing,” Hamlin said. “We were able to come out of it with something, and the competition also helped.”
He added: “Gotta be happy with it. I mean, I’m gonna be upset about it, but this is another blessing.”
Hamlin now heads to Bristol still leading the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings. The Gateway result wasn’t the strongest performance for the No. 11 team, but avoiding major damage let Denny Hamlin keep the points lead after one of the most chaotic races of the NASCAR Cup Series season.
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