Denny Hamlin has dominated short track races since the beginning of the season, but had a setback in Texas.
The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 saw intense battles between several drivers, with the race being won in double overtime. While the HMS driver had a successful day, Denny Hamlin, one of his biggest rivals on the track, had a disastrous ending. Starting the race in 11th position, Hamlin showed impressive progress with one of the fastest cars of the day. However, his hopes of securing a third win of the season were shattered when he spun out at the end of the race.
During Stage 1, Denny Hamlin was determined to break the winning streak of the HMS drivers and managed to climb to 3rd position. He even took the lead on lap 260, but his reign was short-lived, as Elliott closely followed him, causing the experienced driver to lose control of his Toyota. Unable to recover, he spun out and hit the wall coming out of the turn.
In a post-race interview, the 43-year-old driver expressed his struggle to maintain a consistent performance throughout the day. Unfortunately, when it mattered most, everything fell apart when he spun his car and collided with the wall. Hamlin had nothing more to say about the victory that slipped away and openly admitted his mistake to both the JGR garage and the media.
NASCAR conducted a test of a new Next-Gen package in Phoenix last year during the season finale. It was tested again in Bristol this year, resulting in one of the most exciting races in NASCAR history due to significant tire degradation. However, recent races on short tracks like Richmond and Martinsville have presented a completely different scenario, with few overtakes throughout the race.
Cela a conduit la NASCAR à organiser une réunion avec les pilotes avant le week-end au Texas. Après la réunion, Hamlin a partagé quelques informations sur les discussions qui ont eu lieu à huis clos.
Le pilote de la Toyota n°11 a expliqué que les pilotes ont plaidé en faveur d’une augmentation significative de la dégradation des pneus par Goodyear. De plus, ils ont exprimé leur insatisfaction à l’égard du nouveau package, qui ne charge pas correctement les pneus sur les pistes dans le sens horaire. Hamlin a souligné l’importance de se concentrer sur les conditions de la piste et les performances des pneus plutôt que de faire des changements aérodynamiques.
