Denny Hamlin came to Richmond with high hopes and a car he believed could win, but the night unraveled fast. A string of pit road blunders and a chaotic crash involving Kyle Busch turned his home race into a frustrating grind. Despite clawing back to a top-10 finish, Hamlin was left wondering what could’ve been.
Kyle Busch’s tough run just kept getting worse, but things were looking up for his teammate, Austin Dillon. Driving the No. 3 car, Dillon grabbed a big win at Richmond Raceway and locked in his spot for the Playoffs, something he couldn’t do last year when a win was stripped of playoff eligibility due to a late-race incident.
As for Denny Hamlin, it was a tough pill to swallow. Richmond is his home track, and every driver dreams of winning in front of their hometown crowd.
How did Denny Hamlin not fall apart after the pit mishaps?
Despite a series of pit road mishaps, Denny Hamlin somehow kept his cool and stayed in the fight at Richmond. On his Actions Detrimental podcast, the 44-year-old admitted just how tough it was to stay mentally locked in.
“I like to think not, but it’s very possible. I certainly was so frustrated because I knew right off the bat we had a race-winning car.” And he wasn’t wrong. Even though he started deep in the field, outside the top 20, Hamlin quickly carved his way through traffic. Within the first stage, he was already running inside the top 10, showing just how strong his No. 11 Toyota was.
Hamlin also talked about how he relies on instinct more than numbers when judging his car’s potential. “Usually I know within 5 laps in the race, ‘Is it doing the things I need?’ At the time, I was racing around guys that I didn’t end up being the best of, that night. It doesn’t matter to me, it’s about feel for me, not time, positioning or anything.”
That kind of intuition is what’s made Hamlin one of the most consistent drivers in the Cup Series.
Unfortunately, just when things were looking promising, disaster struck. A crash involving Kyle Busch ended up damaging Hamlin’s car and derailing his night, “Still thought we were going to be fine, and then we got the [crash]. Could you see the damage that we had?”
Kyle Busch (L), Denny Hamlin (R) | Credits: ImagoSpeaking of the crash, how badly was the #11 Toyota affected? Hamlin admitted, “No, yeah it was bad. It jacked the whole front end up, center punched the nose right at the radiator inlet. Mess up all kinds of things, lots and lots of things.”
Despite the hit, Hamlin managed to finish 10th, thanks in part to the raw speed of his Toyota Camry. But he knew the car had lost its edge. “I thought it still had decent capability but we still had lost our edge, no doubt about that. We because pedestrian at that point, we were just another car.”
Before the crash, Hamlin had been slicing through the field after deep in the pack. “I can get around the place, so I feel like I can make up a little bit. We were just kind of 10th place at that point, so it was unfortunate.” But pit road issues piled on him.
Hamlin admitted that every stop had a different problem, which cost him valuable track position. “Had a rough day on pit road, no doubt about it. Each stop, it was something different every time. This was one I thought that if we could control the race, we could freaking lead.”
In other words, the ‘minor’ damage was actually much worse than it looked, and the performance was affected.
Statistically, Hamlin’s 2025 season has been solid, having 4 wins, 13 top-10s, and 11 top-5s, with 766 points and 555 laps led. Richmond, however, was a missed opportunity, especially at a track where he’s historically strong, with 3 career wins and frequent top finishes.
With that missed chance behind Hamlin, all focus now shifts to Daytona, where one race could shake up everything.
Playoff pressure peaks under the lights at Daytona
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway this week for the Coke Zero Sugar 400, the final race of the regular season. With only two playoff spots left, it’s the last chance for drivers outside the bubble to race their way in.
Austin Dillon proved it’s possible, after a tough season, he delivered a dominant win at Richmond, leading 107 laps and locking himself into the Playoffs with style.
On the other side, drivers like Denny Hamlin, already playoff-bound, will be looking to hold off any surprise winners. But Daytona is unpredictable, and anything can happen under the lights.
The final grid could go one of two ways. If a new winner emerges, only two drivers will make it in on points. If not, three point-based spots will be up for grabs. All eyes are on Daytona to see who makes the cut.
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