NASCAR Cup Darlington
Denny Hamlin: Darlington was "worst butt whooping" of year
There was a brief time when Denny Hamlin thought he might have the best car in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Jim Utter
Edited: May 11, 2021, 2:38 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
He quickly discovered how wrong he was.
It was clear early that Martin Truex Jr. would be a contender for the win but at the start of the second stage, Hamlin was able stay close with Truex and even led five laps.
However, during a caution for a wreck involving Kurt Busch on Lap 107, Truex and most other lead-lap cars elected to pit, but Hamlin remained on the track and took over the lead.
On the restart on Lap 115, Truex – on fresh tires – powered from third to the lead within two turns and Hamlin dropped back on older tires. He would not lead the race again and finished fifth after brushing the wall late in the event.
Truex would go on to lead 248 of the 293 laps, win both stages and topped Kyle Larson by 2.571 seconds for his third victory of the season.
Read Also:
- Larson waited for 'a mistake' from Truex but it never came
- Martin Truex Jr. blisters the field on way to Darlington win
“I honestly thought we had the best car for the first 150 (laps) and then we got off-sequence there by staying out, which we thought everyone was going to stay out to save tires,” Hamlin said. “I should have just (pit) when everyone else was coming, but I didn’t make the call and Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) made it too late.
“Either way, we stayed in the top-five and then we got third on that restart and I just didn’t have the car that I had before. Lost some grip. I think the track burned in a little bit and we just lost the advantage that we had for the first 100 (laps).”
Hamlin said he and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team would not waste anytime trying to see why their teammate, Truex, was so much better than the organization’s other three cars.
“We’ll dive through it. Myself and my crew chief are too tough of competitors to not dig into that,” Hamlin said.
“Honestly, it’s probably the worst butt whooping we’ve had all year and still (a) top-five. We expect to run a little better than what we did today.”
Hamlin, 40, remains the series points leader but is still looking for his first win of the season.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Larson waited for 'a mistake' from Truex but it never came
Next article Cole Custer returns to Xfinity Series for May 22 race at COTA
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jim Utter
Erik Jones agrees to multi-year contract extension with Legacy Motor Club
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Erik Jones agrees to multi-year contract extension with Legacy Motor Club
Goodyear's option tires at Richmond "were like Mario Kart with a star"
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Richmond II
Goodyear's option tires at Richmond "were like Mario Kart with a star"
NASCAR: Austin Dillon move was "really close to crossing the line"
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Richmond II
NASCAR: Austin Dillon move was "really close to crossing the line"
Latest news
MotoGP Australian GP: Marco Bezzecchi leads Aprilia 1-2-4-5 in Friday Practice
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
1 h
MotoGP Australian GP: Marco Bezzecchi leads Aprilia 1-2-4-5 in Friday Practice
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
8 h
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
9 h
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
How to watch NASCAR at Talladega II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
9 h
How to watch NASCAR at Talladega II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe