Denny Hamlin left Darlington Raceway with a result far below what he expected after the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener. The regular-season champion finished 18th in the Cook Out Southern 500 after leading 68 laps and scoring 16 stage points.
Hamlin said his No. 11 Toyota became stronger as the race went on, but a slow pit stop and contact with Michael McDowell changed his night. The crash sent Hamlin into the wall and left his team with major repairs.
Christopher Bell won the NASCAR Cup Series race and reduced Hamlin’s points lead to 12 with nine playoff races remaining. Hamlin said the result was frustrating, especially at one of his strongest tracks, but he also acknowledged that the damage could have been worse.
NASCAR Cup Series: Denny Hamlin Loses Ground at Darlington
Hamlin said his NASCAR Cup Series car was at its best near the end of Stage 2. He had gained ground on several drivers before the incident that changed the race.
“We got in our car, we were pretty good to end stage two,” Hamlin said. “That’s where we got in the car the best, ran down quite a few of those guys, and then had the damage at that break, or had the wreck at that third stage break. So, never really got to see it all the way through.”
A slow pit stop at the Stage 2 break dropped Hamlin to 16th for the final stage. He then made contact with McDowell and hit the wall off Turn 4. The crash broke a right-front toe link and damaged a right-rear control arm.
Cup Series Playoff Crash Changes Hamlin’s Race
Hamlin did not place all the blame on McDowell when explaining the NASCAR Cup Series incident.
“Yeah, he was struggling on the restart. It looked like it was really tight,” Hamlin said. “I went in there, slid them, but I didn’t check up a lot. I did check up some, and I just didn’t cut a break there.”
The No. 11 Toyota suffered damage across the car, forcing the team to make repairs.
“Just a lot of bent parts. Obviously, just hitting the wall there. Just destroyed stuff on the front end, the back end, everywhere,” Hamlin said. “So, they did a good job of at least making it manageable.”
The crash ended Hamlin’s chance to fight for the win, but his stage points helped reduce the points loss.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s why they put stage points in the Cup Series a long time ago, is that they wanted to reward the guys that have some issues maybe at the end,” Hamlin said. “If you have nights like this, then you’re going to have to stack stage points up to offset it a little bit.”
Cup Series Standings: Hamlin Looks to Gateway
Hamlin finished 18th and earned 35 points. Bell’s victory cut Hamlin’s championship lead to 12 points with nine races left. Ryan Blaney is 16 points behind Hamlin, while Tyler Reddick trails by 24.
Darlington has been a strong NASCAR Cup Series track for Hamlin, making the result harder to accept.
“But, yeah, this is a track that we every year run good at,” he said. “And, you know, to finish 18th, that is certainly far below what we expect to have when we come here.”
Hamlin also said the result could have been worse.
“It could have gone either way. It was a missed opportunity, but also could have been worse,” Hamlin said. “So, you know, I’m thankful that the wreck happened after the first two stages so we could at least come away with something out of the day.”
Hamlin now turns to the next NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Gateway.
“You know, certainly not the night we needed,” Hamlin said. “You know, probably, you know, we would have contended for the win, obviously, and didn’t. But, you know, we’ll just pick ourselves up and go to St. Louis and do it.”
NASCAR Cup Series: Denny Hamlin’s Darlington Night Turns Into a Painful Playoff Setback