Joe Gibbs Racing ace Denny Hamlin won his second consecutive race at Darlington Raceway last weekend. However, his run was not easy as he unexpectedly won the race. Later, during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90), Hamlin revealed two pivotal moments that changed the outcome of the 297-lap race.
Hamlin had a slow start. After beginning the race from third, he had to stop for an early pit stop on lap three. This caused him to lose a couple of spots and wrap up Stage 1 of the race in P16. During Stage 2, the JGR got his first chance at victory. Roush Fenway Racing driver Brad Keselowski brought out a caution, giving Hamlin a chance to enter the top five, and he remained there for most of the race.
The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver talked about the last caution, saying [00:38 onwards]:
“That last caution came out. And so we were kind of resigned to the fact that we were going to run third on that day, and I was happy. I thought we had probably an eighth- to tenth-place car on Sunday, but, you know, we battled, and we kept it up front. It’s like, you know, we’re gonna outkick our coverage here, and then that caution comes out. And my first, you know, feeling was, well, damn, you know, we’re gonna find a way to get, you know, lose our lose this good finish.”
“But then when I look and see that there’s not many lap cars between us and the leaders, when I go, well, maybe we’re gonna get off the road first. So things change pretty quickly in about 10-minute span,” he added.
Denny Hamlin qualified third for the NASCAR Throwback Weekend race. He completed the 1.366-mile track with a best time of 28.87 seconds and a top speed of 170.35 mph. Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron secured the pole position with a 0.09-second lead over Hamlin.
Denny Hamlin led 10 laps and secured 48 points from the Goodyear 400 race held on Sunday, April 6, at Darlington Raceway. This also marked his second win in the 2025 Cup Series.
Denny Hamlin’s pit crew opened up about learning a brilliant move that took ‘the entire offseason’
NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin’s crew has mastered a technique to save every second in the pits. Recently, during an interview with NASCAR analyst Steven Taranto on FS1, Hamlin’s jackman, Joel-Alexandre Bouagnon, explained how he mastered the move.
Bouagnon revealed he slings the jack from behind and crosses his hands over to save every tenth of a second during the pits to give drivers the chance to be more competitive on the track. He added that it was not an easy move to master, saying [00:23 onwards]:
“It’s a long process. It’s like it took about every bit of the off-season. You know, just every rep you gain a little bit more confidence enough to take out to the track, because, you know, there’s a lot of risk out here. But yeah, I’d say about the entire offseason.”
Denny Hamlin moved four spots on the Cup Series drivers’ standings. Hamlin ranks second with 266 points, which he earned from two wins, four top-five finishes, and five top-10 finishes in eight starts in the 2025 Cup Series season.
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Edited by Samya Majumdar
