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Denny Hamlin Brought Out The Beast In Him And Makes HMS Teammate Pay for Chase Elliott’s Painful Blow
Denny Hamlin Brought Out The Beast In Him And Makes HMS Teammate Pay for Chase Elliott’s Painful Blow
Overturning his disappointments at Texas and Talladega this Sunday, Denny Hamlin returned to victory lane at The Monster Mile. With Kyle Larson battling on his bumper, extending Joe Gibbs Racing’s tally to four wins in an early season tug-of-war with Hendrick Motorsports, Denny’s final stage “mirror-driving” masterclass received plenty of attention. But critics, as usual, complain about Hamlin’s victories being aided by some “dirty air” tactics.
Regardless, Denny’s 54th win was barely a fluke. Moreover, this wasn’t the first NextGen race to go down to the wire because of some aero-blocking. And on a day when its master, Kyle Larson, fell victim to the grueling defensive strategy, he might have Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott to blame for his third unsatisfying podium finish in the 2024 season.
Denny Hamlin hammers back after back-to-back disappointment
Two weeks ago at Texas, Chase Elliott bested Hamlin with only two laps to go as the #11 spun out of podium contention from another ‘controversial’ final-stage restart. Ironically, a Kyle Larson-induced caution caused the caution flag to emerge before this incident. Regardless, Elliott broke a 32-race winless streak at the Texas race. Hence, it is unlikely that Kyle Larson would hold his disappointments too much to heart, considering his Hendrick teammates’ encouraging accomplishments on that day. However, in the post-Dover edition of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin reveals he had some plans after the #11 team’s fallout a few weeks ago.
The final stage at Dover saw two cautions. The major one took out team members from both JGR and HMS, with Christopher Bell and William Byron, respectively, ending their day alongside 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace. Kyle Larson, rolling off P1, had his best chance to put some positive distance between himself and Hamlin on this final unscheduled restart, But as fate would have it, Denny would hold on to retake the lead from Larson, starting from the inside line at Dover.
Denny explained his somewhat equal perspective, restarting from the front row with 63 laps to go, “So we didn’t have many laps on our tires, and at that point, I started on the inside, second. And second, typically has been a tough place to start at Dover. But the gearing is kind of wonky where first gear is way too much at that track. Second gear is not enough, and NASCAR does that to try to keep our gear selections the same at all tracks. So they they want to do, if they can a one-size-fits-all when it comes to gearing. “
Making it clear that both himself and Larson restarted on the ‘first gear,’ Hamlin then elaborates on his successful overtake on Larson and the underlying motivations, stating, “And I think he (Larson) says he gets a hit from the #19 that when he starts to go, he gets hit… Then his wheels start spinning. And then I took off and ’cause I didn’t get hit from behind and it allowed us to be even at the start-finish line. I drive into the corner… Hold it down low, and I clear him and I’m like yes. Now I’m in control of the race so trust me I felt the pain of the other side of that when Chase Elliott did it to us you know a few weeks ago at Texas.
“I mean that was the race. I was going to win that race for sure and then he did a great job on the restart the caution comes out and he’s six inches ahead of me. He controls the restart and that was game over after that,“ reminisced JGR’s latest race winner.
An overlooked Hendrick contender eyeing Kansas crown?
Before qualifying for the Wurth 400 at P2 behind Kyle Busch, Larson held back-to-back P2 finishes at Texas and Talladega, coming off consecutive podium finishes at Richmond and Martinsville. The #5’s last win came at Vegas where he swept both stages and kicked off his advance at the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship. In comparison, Denny Hamlin’s season’s second race win came at Richmond, where Larson would finish P3. The following week at Martinsville would mark an incredible 1-2-3 sweep for Hendrick Motorsports, as William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott would round off the podium, in that order.
As the season moved next to Texas, Chase Elliott would redeem himself with his debut victory of the 2024 season, thanks a little in part to William Byron’s unintentional nudge on podium contender Ross Chastain on the final lap. At Talladega, Toyota returned to victory lane with Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing. But the highest-finishing Hendrick Chevrolet last Sunday did not belong to either Byron, Larson, or Elliott.
t belonged to an often overlooked member of the Hendrick stable, who also fell victim to the aero-blocking and the inherent inability to pass a car without some much-needed clean air this past weekend – Alex Bowman. But this week, during his 300th Cup Series appearance, his battle was within the #48 team, as he finished stage 2 in the second position behind his colleague Kyle Larson. Larson effectively kept taking away Bowman’s air, resulting in the #48 eventually falling off the first 5 spots to end its race in P8. However, the highlight appeared at the onset of the Stage 2 break when defensive strategies on the part of the #5 would leave the #48 driver a little frustrated, causing him to vent to his team over the in-car radio.
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A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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