Denny Hamlin: 'I don't feel like I could've changed much' with disappointing results at Sonoma, Iowa

Denny Hamlin believes that he did the best he could while competing in Sonoma and Iowa over the last two weeks. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin explained what happened in both races that led to disappointing results.

“Yeah, we were on a roll there for a little while,” Hamlin said. “It would be hard for me to kind of pick apart like well, what could I have done better? Maybe given some better feedback overnight, but it’s hard to predict when the track changes that much from Friday practice to Sunday the race.

“I had a blown engine obviously, can’t do anything about that. And then [Kyle Larson] when he wrecked right in front of us, we got in it. I don’t feel like I could’ve changed much. Certainly, we could have been a little better and then not been in that spot when [Larson] got crashed, but I don’t know, to be only 38 back with two horrendous finishes in a row we still got time.”

Hamlin got a DNF at Sonoma due to engine failure. He followed that up with a P24 finish at Iowa due to multiple issues with the car. The poor finishes come after Hamlin had five consecutive top-five finishes, including a win at Dover Motor Speedway in April.

But despite the recent struggles, Hamlin is having a strong year as he’s won three races. He will compete in the playoffs later this year and is looking for his first Cup Series championship after being in the top five in the standings for the past five years.

Denny Hamlin on the key to his success

After winning at Dover, Hamlin spoke to reporters about the key to his early-season success. “Well, I think me and Chris [Gabehart] just keep getting better,” he said. “He continues to challenge me and push me to get better. He holds me accountable. I hold him accountable. We’re year five now of working together and we just keep getting better. We’re starting to understand each other a little more. We kind of know where our deficits are and where we need to work to win more races.

“If you would have asked me six, seven years ago winning at Dover, I would have said you’re crazy. It was by far my worst track. I just hated coming here each and every time. He led me in a direction to get better. Really paid off over those last five years.”