An ill-timed precaution hampered Hamlin’s criticism of SMI-owned Texas, which fell victim to Drivers Texas’ plight amid Chase Elliott’s Brewing Redemption.
Denny Hamlin’s hopes for a third Cup Series win of the season were dashed by a late spin at Texas Motor Speedway. As he and Chase Elliott were battling for the lead with a few laps left in the race, the No. 11 car, which had been aggressively running away from the restart, tried its luck and dived into the circuit, causing the race to fall. It spins away and hits a wall. The caution sent the race into overtime, once again putting “fan favorite” Chase Elliott in prime position for a come-from-behind victory. The HMS driver is coming off his 42-race winless streak and perhaps today could be his return. Hamlin’s spin was certainly not surprising as several drivers suffered a similar fate today. Premature warning hurt Hamlin’s chances of victory
With 23 laps remaining, Hamlin chose the outside lane to try and pass Elliott’s No. 9 car, and was successful. From here it looked like he was on his way to victory, but a caution soon came out and the race was completely turned upside down. It was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who ended up hitting the wall, resulting in the 12th caution of the race.
After the crash, Elliott took a narrow lead from Hamlin on the restart and made the most of it. Hamlin did his best to repeat the passing attack on Elliott, but this time he aggressively defended the lead. Hamlin tried desperately to enter Turn 3 onto the track, but his car immediately came off and caused an accident. After the race, the JGR driver explained the incident as follows: “I was on the inside of Turn 3 where I was supposed to go, but he wasn’t that strong in main lanes 3 and 4 either, so I thought it was really good that I picked there.” Even though he was next to me. Occurred.
We certainly didn’t need that kind of caution, but that’s what happens here in Texas. “There are a lot of precautions and we just have to be mindful of them and do our best,” he said of the frontstretch. He also acknowledged the rise of Chase Elliott and how this win puts him back in title contention. Elliott gets back to winning ways in NASCAR Cup Series
If there was one driver who desperately needed a win, it was Chase Elliott. While competing for the championship, the HMS driver failed to make the playoffs in 2023, hitting a career low last year and was aiming for a come-from-behind victory. Consecutive top-five finishes gave him momentum and confidence that ultimately led to a much-needed victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Asked if the win puts Elliott back into championship contention, Hamlin said, “I mean, he’s gotten progressively better as the season has gone on.” Yeah, I mean, it seems like there are a few organizations in control right now, and he’s been in one of them and he’s been competent for a long time. He’s certainly a threat because he’s done something similar in the past.”
Despite a late crash, Denny Hamlin maintained third place overall. Meanwhile, Elliott has moved up two more places and is now in his fourth place, just behind his JGR rival.
