Denny Hamlin wreck at Sonoma leaves Clint Bowyer at a loss for words
Right when we thought Martin Truex Jr. was going to run away with this one, Denny Hamlin spun out and sent this Sonoma race into a caution. The incident happened right at the start/finish line and left Clint Bowyer speechless. The former NASCAR driver really didn’t have words for what he saw because it happened so quickly.
Denny Hamlin was the pole sitter and he let over 30 laps on the day. However, his teammate Truex Jr. was stronger on the day than the No. 11. With 17 laps to go in the race, Hamlin lost control and hit the wall. His toe link was broken and left him without a chance to save his car.
It wasn’t just Bowyer that was speechless, it was almost the entire Fox broadcast booth. No one saw this coming.
This was not a very eventful race in terms of caution flags and things like that. What it was, was an impressive showing from the No. 19 team a year after a season many thought could be the end of Truex’s career.
While this caution put a lot of pressure on Truex Jr. in the lead, Denny Hamlin’s caution wouldn’t be the end of the day for his teammate. He was able to battle his way to the finish over a hard-charging Kyle Busch to cap off what was a dominant performance.
Denny Hamlin can’t stop Martin Truex Jr. from winning
Despite the late caution from Denny Hamlin’s spin, it was the Truex Jr. show. After the 19 passed the 11 in Stage 2, he didn’t look back. A year removed from that poor 2022 showing, it has been a real turnaround for the entire crew and of course, the driver in question.
Of course, it was a good day for the 19, but Hamlin will be disappointed in his performance. That spin was a nail in the coffin for his race. On a weekend that was going so well, Hamlin had pole position to start and won Stage 1, which ended with a whimper.
In this race, we saw Kyle Busch give a go at Truex Jr. for the win. It was a strange day for the No. 8 team. They didn’t have a great car but had a strong strategy and Busch was getting the most out of the Chevy Camaro.
In the end, Truex Jr. takes his fourth win at Sonoma in his career. He also moves into the group of two-time winners in 2023. Could this be a potential championship year for that Bass Pro Shops team?