Denny Hamlin admits mistake in closing laps at Homestead

Denny Hamlin knew he made a mistake during the final laps of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead on Sunday. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin explained what went wrong after the final restart that prevented him from winning.

“I was just in a spot where I really wanted to get to second behind Bubba [Wallace] really really badly,” Hamlin said. “I thought I was going to be better in the long run, which I had been. I knew it was do or die. …I couldn’t make the bottom work as good as others could in (turns) three and four.

“At that time, we had gotten clear of the five (Kyle Larson). I cleared him through three and four on the bottom, the previous lap. I stayed inside the 48 (Alex Bowman) through (turns) one and two. At that time, I’m like, ‘Whoever gets the second here has got a shot in this long run to get Bubba. I tried to go in there and I carried a little too much speed on entry and I got off the line in three and four. At that time, immediately what happens in my head is I get off the line and I’m looking and say, ‘Can I just slide up and clear? Can I gas it, slide up and clear? At the time, I’m clear.”

Denny Hamlin earned a top-five finish at Homestead

Hamlin continued, “As I’m coming up the track, I’m losing time because I’m cranking the wheel left, I’m running about half throttle, and the 48 was there. I tried to square up in front of the five. He was like ‘No, I’ve got to run here, and there’s not enough room. Luckily, I didn’t get crashed there.”

When the race was all said and done, Denny Hamlin earned a P5 finish, his third top-10 finish in six races this season. At this point of the 2024 season, Hamlin had two top-10 finishes but had a win, which was at Bristol.

Hamlin is looking for his first Cup Series victory since April of last year but is in a good position when it comes to the standings. The 44-year-old is eighth in Cup points and would qualify for the playoffs if it began today.