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Denny Hamlin frustrated with NASCAR red flag dropping while in third

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•06/23/24•

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Denny Hamlin (6)
Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Denny Hamlin was not happy with NASCAR stopping the Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday due to rain. The 43-year-old driver spoke to NBC Sports about his frustration with the red flag while being in third place.

“Just need more time there,” Hamlin said. “At this point, you’re kind of second-guess like, ‘Which lane did I choose? How do I approach the corners? How could I make up more time?’ It’s going to be a tall task for us to get back to the front with just a few green-flag laps, but we had a few good restarts and a few mediocre ones. Right now we’re third, so it’s frustrating.

“I feel like our car is really good, but these are the variables we deal with.”

Hamlin went on to talk about how the race was going once it was known that rain was approaching the area. “Everyone knows rain is imminent, so you’re just trying to do everything you can to gain any spot,” he said. “…If they can just get up front, they can control the pace and it’s going to make a lot easier. We’re all battling as hard as we can because we know it’s just a matter of time.”

Denny Hamlin on Tyler Reddick potentially winning New Hampshire Race

When the race was hit with the red flag, Tyler Reddick was in first place, and he drives for 23XI Racing, a team Hamlin co-owns with Michael Jordan. Hamlin was asked what his reaction will be if Reddick is declared the winner while he has a shot at getting another victory for this year.

“I hope we get back going because we feel like we got a good Yahoo! Camry and we love to get going,” Hamlin explained. “But if we don’t, then so be it.”

If the race is called, Hamlin will earn his sixth top-five finish in eight races. He has won three races this year and entered Sunday’s race third in the Cup Series standings behind Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. Hamlin, who has won 54 Cup Series races in his career, is still looking for his first Cup Series title. He finished second in 2010 and no worse than fifth in the last five years.