Tyler Reddick, who drives for 23XI Racing co-owned by Denny Hamlin, took the checkered flag in NASCAR‘s most prestigious race. The driver of the #45 won the Daytona 500 after overtaking Chase Elliott on the final straightaway.
It was a frantic last-lap finish that saw two multi-car accidents before the checkered flag waved. However, things weren’t as intense throughout the 200-lap race, particularly in the final 60-lap stage.
As the laps wound down, the field ran three-by-three and at half throttle in an effort to save fuel. The strategy drew criticism from, among others, Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney, as he expressed difficulty in finding ways to pass of any sort.
Denny Hamlin on how to fix fuel-saving at Daytona: ‘Speed up the cars’
Following his team’s victory in “The Great American Race,” Hamlin spoke to the media and was questioned about the fuel-saving racing at Daytona. The 60-time Cup Series winner believes the solution is speed.
The Virginia native added that as long as NASCAR is content with the change, adding speed to the cars would prevent drivers from saving fuel.
“There is a way, but we’re gonna have to increase the speeds by a lot. You’re going to have to make it where handling matters. That’s going to spread the field. … It’ll look a little more like racing from the past. As long as [NASCAR’s] insurance companies are okay with it, you’re gonna have to speed up the cars,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin went on to suggest that having The Clash exhibition race return to Daytona next year would essentially be a test run of a new race package created by a few in the industry.
Hamlin said The Clash, which has taken place at Bowman Gray Stadium the past two years, would look completely different than the racing seen in Sunday’s Daytona 500, in that drivers wouldn’t be thinking about backing off and saving fuel.
“One of the suggestions that we talked about just a few days ago is come here next year for The Clash. Let a few of us come up with a package. You won’t see [much] fuel-saving, you’re just going to see people hanging on. That would be the only fix,” Hamlin said.
While his team car won the race, Hamlin placed 31st in the Daytona 500 after getting caught up in two different wrecks. Hamlin was aiming for a fourth Daytona 500 victory, which would rank him second in the most 500 victories of all-time.
Denny Hamlin seeking first win at EchoPark Speedway since 2012
Hamlin will aim to put a tough Daytona 500 finish behind him when the Cup Series circuit takes on EchoPark Speedway on Sunday, February 22. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won at the Atlanta track once back in September 2012.
Since EchoPark became a drafting track in 2022, Hamlin has posted two sixth-place finishes at the track. Yet, he also has five finishes outside the top 20 in the last eight races at EchoPark.
Hamlin is coming off a six-win season in 2025 that saw him miss out on his first Cup championship by one spot. It was his second runner-up finish in the Cup standings, with the first being in 2010.
NASCAR’s Denny Hamlin Offers Solution for Daytona Fuel-Saving