Denny Hamlin explains vehicle issue that cost him – Sports News
NASCAR star Denny Hamlin has defined that he was driving with a free wheel after lacking out on successful the Cook Out 400.
Had Hamlin gained at Martinsville, it will have been his 62nd Cup Series win and his second of the 2026 season following his success in Las Vegas final month. However, whereas he nonetheless earned loads of factors, he got here away empty-handed on the win entrance, partly as a consequence of a gamble he and his staff made.
Speaking on a latest episode of his ‘Actions Detrimental‘ podcast, Hamlin defined how a free wheel, coupled with a late pit stop, resulted in him ending second behind Elliott.
“I noticed when the No. 1 [Ross Chastain] stayed out, I was like, I’ll be able to get around, I’m getting around them,” mentioned Hamlin. He continued: “But I’m now starting on the outside lane. I hadn’t started there all day. I’m going to have to use my tires up a little bit more on the start of this run than I had been in restarts past.
“But I feel had my car been one hundred pc on that final run, we nonetheless would have gained the race.”
Despite losing out to Elliott, Hamlin was still positive about his weekend, in part due to the fact that he came second. While the loose wheel hurt him in the end, the fact that his car led the race for the majority of the action at Martinsville served as a source of comfort for the JGR driver.
He added: “Unfortunately, we did have a free wheel, and that takes enough grip out of the rear that for those who don’t have in case your tires aren’t monitoring proper, you definitely have a lot much less rear grip than what you will have had beforehand.
“So the fact that we were able to just continue, I mean, it’s just a testament to how fast we were and how fast our car was to be able to hang on there with that loose wheel. I think that was the defining moment.”
There is no Cup Series motion this weekend, with NASCAR taking a week off.
However, the motion will resume the next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
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