Joey Logano looked like the man to beat. The Daytona 500 seemed destined to be his race—until disaster struck. Logano’s wreck not only ended his hopes but dragged Ryan Blaney into the chaos, opening the door for a final showdown between Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric.
For Hamlin, the dream of a fourth Daytona 500 victory felt closer than ever. Entering overtime on the front row, everything pointed to the No. 11 Toyota taking home the Harley J. Earl Trophy.
And then—controversy erupted.
No Caution? Hamlin Blindsided by NASCAR’s Decision
As the field thundered through Turn 3, Riley Herbst spun violently into the infield grass. Given that NASCAR had thrown a caution for a similar wreck in the Xfinity race the day before, Hamlin expected the yellow flag—a call that would have frozen the field and potentially handed him the win.
But NASCAR didn’t throw the caution.
Instead, Herbst gathered it up, and the race continued under green, leading to a desperate, chaotic final charge to the finish.
Caught up in a battle with Austin Cindric, Hamlin’s race unraveled when Cole Custer clipped his car, triggering a multi-car crash that allowed William Byron to slip through and steal the win.
Hamlin limped home in 24th place, left to wonder why NASCAR stayed silent when they hadn’t before.
“I need to see the other wrecks, but I knew they were wrecking. We were surprised that they kept going. Once I realized that they are not gonna throw yellow, all I was focused on then was let me get a run on this 2 (Austin Cindric), get beside them, and win this race. And then apparently, I think they went green all the way to the checkered right. So I mean, I was destroyed.”
Frustration with NASCAR’s “Inconsistent” Officiating
While Hamlin didn’t blame Custer for the wreck, he wasn’t about to let NASCAR off the hook.
His main gripe? Inconsistent officiating.
“They’ll react. When they feel like if they get trashed, socially, on a call, they will over-go the other way on the next one.”
Hamlin alluded to NASCAR’s reactionary rule enforcement, pointing to last season’s drama over the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP).
- At Kansas in 2024, Josh Berry wasn’t allowed to continue after suffering flat tires.
- But at Talladega, after fan backlash, NASCAR towed Chase Elliott’s car back to pit road to keep him in the race.
Now, Hamlin believes the same inconsistency cost him a shot at history.
“One day, NASCAR makes one call. The next day, they make the opposite to avoid backlash. Where’s the standard?”
A Silver Lining for Hamlin: 23XI’s Strong Start
While Hamlin left Daytona empty-handed, there was one bright spot—his 23XI Racing driver, Tyler Reddick, survived the carnage to finish second.
It was a huge result for the team Hamlin co-owns, proving that they have the speed to compete early in the season.
Now, with Daytona behind him, Hamlin turns his focus to Atlanta, where he hopes to secure an early win and lock himself into the 2025 playoffs.
“We’re moving on. If we win early, we control our own destiny.”
But the controversy at Daytona won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Did NASCAR cost Hamlin a fourth 500 victory? Or was it just another example of how unpredictable superspeedway racing can be?
One thing is for sure—Denny Hamlin isn’t done talking about it.