Denny Hamlin reflected on what led to the single most cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race.
The 2005 Coca-Cola 600 saw a record 22 caution flags, due in large part to a track surface adjustment prior to the race weekend.
Last Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway saw 18 caution periods, coming up just four cautions shy of tying the all-time record. Multiple of the yellow flags were thrown due to crashes caused by brake failures.
Hamlin, however, was one of the lucky ones who did not get involved in a crash and finished ninth. He holds a nine-point lead over WWT Raceway winner Kyle Larson heading into the third race of the Chase.
Hamlin said ‘levigating’ Charlotte led to multitude of cautions
At the beginning of the most recent episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, Hamlin noted there were a plethora of cautions in last Sunday’s race at Gateway. However, the driver of the No. 11 pointed out it was not the record.
Hamlin correctly recalled that the 2005 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway still holds the record for the most caution flags in a single NASCAR race. The 45-year-old called it “levigation Charlotte,” referring to the track adjustment made prior to the race.
In 2005, the late Humpy Wheeler, former Charlotte Motor Speedway track president, wanted to smooth out the 1.5-mile track in an effort to get rid of the bumps in the surface.
This change, Hamlin said, made for a crash-filled race. Because the surface was smoothed out, handling became a huge problem for the Cup Series field.
“They grounded the track. They called it levigating. Essentially, they were trying to smooth the racetrack. By doing that, they, imagine like a claw, they just clawed the track and it chewed up the tires and there was a caution like … lots and lots and lots,” Hamlin said.
Jimmie Johnson won the 22-caution race with a thrilling photo finish pass over Bobby Labonte.
While Hamlin said he was in the race, he seemingly mistaken his entry for the 2005 Charlotte fall race. Hamlin did not race in the 2005 Coca-Cola 600 but competed in the Charlotte fall race later that year, finishing eighth place.
It was Hamlin’s second career start, driving the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet after replacing Jason Leffler towards the end of the season.
Hamlin enters Bristol with scant points lead
At the beginning of the Chase, Denny Hamlin was the top seed with a 25-point advantage over second place Ryan Blaney.
As the Cup Series circuit heads to the Bristol Motor Speedway, the Virginia native’s advantage has shrunk to nine over new second place Kyle Larson, who won this past Sunday at Gateway.
Larson scored 73 points in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 in his first win of the 2026 season, making up 40 points on Hamlin for the top spot. Prior to Gateway, Christopher Bell ranked second in the standings after a win in the Southern 500 at Darlington.
Bell was within 12 points of Hamlin’s lead after the latter finished 18th at Darlington. The driver of the No. 20 lost minimal ground to Hamlin at Gateway as he enters Bristol 18 points behind in third position.
Amid his 21st full-time season of NASCAR Cup Series competition, Hamlin is seeking an elusive first Cup championship.
Denny Hamlin Recalls Story of NASCAR’s Most Caution-Filled Race