Denny Hamlin blows up two laps into Toyota Save Mart 350, exits race

A very quick finish to the day for Denny Hamlin. The 11 car went up in smoke as Hamlin lost his engine going into Lap 2 of the Sonoma race. Devastating for Hamlin’s NASCAR regular season championship hopes.

This puts Kyle Larson in a great place to take the points lead again. Denny Hamlin started the day P25 after a poor effort in qualifying. Now, he’s done after just two laps on the track. He also dumped a bunch of fluid all over the place causing cleanup issues.

A quick caution to the day. Are we going to see more issues later on? Or will this be a rare instance of chaos in an otherwise orderly afternoon?

Early issues for the No. 11 and his day is over. pic.twitter.com/Nqo8Aqte8g

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 9, 2024

Denny Hamlin will finish dead last in Sonoma for the second year in a row. After five straight top-5 finishes, it comes to an end in California. No fault really of Hamlin’s own, he was just running with a beat-up engine that couldn’t keep up with the pace.

Early on in this race, there have already been a few incidents besides Hamlin. The new pavement might just be what Sonoma needed to add a little more drama to things. Stay tuned to this one folks, things are only going to get more intense as the laps tick by.

Denny Hamlin out early, points lead in jeopardy

Entering the race today, Denny Hamlin was first in the points. He got there when Kyle Larson was left out of the Coca-Cola 600 and took what was essentially a 60-point penalty for not earning anything. Well, one bad week is going to likely wipe that all away.

While Hamlin has three wins on the season, he is lacking in stage points compared to a driver like Larson. Those stage points add up quickly when you are racing in the top-10 week in and week out. Hamlin has started to pick it up but today won’t help at all.

So, good news, well bad news – Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. have had problems today. Gibbs is a DNF as well after blowing a tire and wrecking into the wall. His crew were unable to make repairs in time and the 54 car was towed to the garage.

There have been multiple cautions in the first stage. It will only get better as things continue. Tune in now if you haven’t already you won’t regret it.