Denny Hamlin demonstrated why he is one of the best drivers in the Cup Series in a heart-pounding finish at the Hollywood Casino 400. He was rapid, he was fierce, and through most of the afternoon at Kansas Speedway, he seemed invincible.
Hamlin dominated the first two stages and even set the fastest lap of the day in leading an unbelievable total of 159 laps. Paper-wise, it had been almost a perfect performance. And NASCAR races never end on paper; they end on the track.
During the final laps, a combination of unfortunate events, a difficult pit stop, and a technical issue reversed the script. The patient Chase Elliott, who happened to be in the right place at the right time, passed Hamlin and Bubba Wallace on the last lap.
It was a thin margin of victory indeed, 0.069 seconds, but that margin was enough to send Elliott to the Round of 8, and leave Denny Hamlin with the question of what might have been.
Denny Hamlin’s Mastery Marred by Mechanical Mishap
From the start, Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota looked like the class of the field. Every restart, every corner, every pit cycle, he kept proving his edge. But as so often happens in NASCAR, dominance doesn’t guarantee the win. A slow pit stop shuffled him back to sixth place late in the race. Then, when it mattered most, his power steering began to fail.
The issue left Denny Hamlin fighting the wheel, especially in the final turns. “We were the best car,” Hamlin admitted to NASCAR.com. “Had a bad pit stop, restarted sixth. One lap to go, I’m thinking, ‘Find a way to get 60.’”
Afterward, he reflected on how he might have handled things differently: “If I had to do it all over again, I’d run a little bit lower to allow a space between us so I don’t get so tight.” His crew chief, Chris Gayle, praised his driver’s toughness. “He was able to still hang on to it after his arms were mushed. Really proud of him for doing that and the effort he showed all day.”
Final-Lap Drama with Bubba Wallace
The showdown came down to Denny Hamlin and his 23XI Racing driver, Bubba Wallace. Both Toyota drivers wanted the win badly, but Hamlin’s steering problems left little room for error. Contact between the two in the final corner allowed Elliott to sneak through for the win.
“I got really close to the 23,” Denny Hamlin said, admitting the car simply wouldn’t turn well enough. “I would have loved for me and the 23 to battle it out, but obviously I couldn’t turn the car well enough that last corner and got him.”
Wallace, who finished fifth, didn’t hide his frustration. “Can’t talk to him,” he told NASCAR.com. “I’ve always been big on how you race me is how I race you. No matter who you are, we race hard.”
For Wallace, the most painful part wasn’t just losing, it was handing Elliott a win. “I was excited to race Denny for the win, and we ended up fifth and gave the 9 a win. That’s what’s frustrating the most.”
Chase Elliott’s Opportunistic Triumph
For Chase Elliott, the victory was all about patience and timing. He didn’t have the most dominant car, but he was there when chaos struck. That’s playoff racing at its core: stay close, survive the mess, and grab the opportunity when it opens.
Wallace’s crew chief, Bootie Denike, summed it up: “Huge result and resiliency. He did a great job sticking with it and fighting through one stint at a time. All you can ask for is a shot to win at the end, and we certainly had that multiple times.”
Hollywood Casino 400 served the purpose to show that there is no race where one can be assured they are safe until the checkered flag is raised. Hamlin might have prevailed, but Elliott took the win and a certain invitation to the Round of 8.
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