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Kyle Petty has taken a critical look at Denny Hamlin’s unusual approach to avoiding crashes during the Playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The former NASCAR driver highlighted Hamlin’s strategy in a post-race interview, where the Joe Gibbs Racing competitor discussed his goal of securing 20 points from the weekend’s race.
The Quaker State 400 saw Joey Logano achieve his second Cup Series victory of the season, propelling him into the Round of 12. Logano, driving for Team Penske, restarted next to Daniel Suarez on Lap 265, with their teammates right behind. Ryan Blaney provided a push for Logano, while Ross Chastain aimed to assist Suarez in clinching the win.
However, on the final lap’s Turn 3, Chase Elliott collided with Chastain, sending him into the wall. This incident caused Suarez to lose the momentum he had gained, allowing Logano’s #22 Ford to surge ahead to victory.
Denny Hamlin’s race, on the other hand, was a struggle from start to finish. After beginning his 266-lap journey from the back of the pack, the JGR driver found it challenging to stay competitive. He finished 34th and 29th in the first two stages and was caught up in the last-lap crash triggered by Elliott. Consequently, the 54-time Cup Series winner ended the race in 24th place at the 1.54-mile track.
It seems Hamlin was bracing for more incidents on the newly configured track. In a post-race conversation with Bob Pockrass, the 43-year-old shared his pre-race mindset and his focus on achieving “20 points.” He expressed…
I expected a more significant crash, you know? I was just trying to calculate the odds, thinking there would be more incidents than what actually happened. There were still some playoff contenders involved in a few things. But honestly, I wasn’t focused on what anyone else was doing; my goal was to secure 20 points, which has been the top finish for the team, and I just aimed to get through this round,” Hamlin explained.
Denny Hamlin’s comments left Kyle Petty feeling “confused,” prompting the former Cup Series champion to respond to the JGR driver. The eight-time champion stated (via @WhoisSkid on X), “Who enters the playoffs with the mindset of, ‘I just want to get 20 points in the first race’? I’ve never encountered anything like that in all my years of playoff racing. I just want to grab 20 race points and hang back here. So, I’m more puzzled now than I was before I heard that,” Petty said.
Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin’s teammate Tyler Reddick made a strong comeback after a rough start to the race weekend. Although Hamlin’s performance in Atlanta was disappointing, Reddick, driving for 23XI Racing, showed promise. Starting from 23rd on the grid, the #45 Toyota driver improved to finish 17th in the first stage and climbed to 11th in the second stage.
In addition, the regular season champion navigated through numerous crashes and cautions on the drafting track to secure a sixth-place finish. This achievement marked Reddick’s 19th top-10 finish in the 2024 Cup Series season.
Conversely, Denny Hamlin’s second driver and non-playoff contender, Bubba Wallace, began the race alongside teammate Reddick in 24th position. However, he was unable to replicate a similar outcome, despite having the same equipment in his #23 Toyota. Wallace ended the race in 29th place after finishing 33rd in both stages.
It’s also notable that Tyler Reddick was the second-fastest Toyota driver at Atlanta, with Christopher Bell from JGR taking the title of the fastest, finishing in fourth place.