Hamlin: 'Nothing I could have done differently' at Martinsville
Denny Hamlin is left still searching for his first victory of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season following Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway.
Hamlin led a race-high 276 laps and had the speed to retake the lead on the final restart, but just couldn't hold back Martin Truex Jr. as the laps ticked away.
"I thought it was a matter of time," he admitted. "With about 25 to go or so, he already got into my rear bumper, kind of beating the back end off. It was just a matter of time."
He added that Truex was just able to turn the corner better than the No. 11 team during the final run, finally relinquishing the race lead to his teammate with 14 laps remaining.
Despite no victories yet, it has been a very impressive year for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. He's scored seven top-five finishes in the first eight races and holds an average finish of 4.5.
Even still, there's always been one or two cars that were able to best Hamlin in the closing moments of every race so far.
"Yeah, I mean, we definitely would like to have more (playoff points), for sure," he said. "But the way we're running, we can win any given week. We've just gotten beat by one or two cars each and every week that have just hit the setup a little bit better than we did.
"But it's hard to complain. I don't know what the record is for most points scored in eight races, but I think we pretty much got to be there (laughter). We don't finish any worse than third in every stage, obviously we're finishing in the top three or four every race.
"Just keep building on that, look at the positives, try not to be negative. Wins, we're getting closer. We're getting there. We just got to -- nothing saying we can't win the next three races in a row."
Hamlin remains atop the regular season points standings, but sits eighth in the playoff points behind this year's seven winners.
Related video
Previous article
Chase Elliott is just fine with 'uneventful' Martinsville race
Next article
Gibbs talks satisfying, but nerve-racking Martinsville 1-2
About this article
| Series | NASCAR Cup |
| Event | Martinsville |
| Drivers | Denny Hamlin |
| Teams | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Author | Nick DeGroot |
From the archive: Dale Earnhardt’s final Autosport interview
The death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 shocked NASCAR to the core. At the Daytona 24 Hours, two weeks before his fatal accident, ‘The Intimidator’ shared his expectations of challenging for an eighth Cup title with JONATHAN INGRAM, in an article first published in the 15 February 2001 issue of Autosport magazine. Little did we know then what tragedy would unfold…
The lasting NASCAR legacy after Dale Earnhardt’s death
On February 18, 2001, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt – the fearless ‘Intimidator’ – was in his element at Daytona International Speedway. While his own DEI team’s cars ran 1-2 towards the finish line, his famed #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo was playing rear gunner to block any late runs from the chasing pack. As the cars tore through Turns 3 and 4 on that fateful final lap, Earnhardt maintained the strongarm tactics that encapsulated his persona… but his actions in those moments sadly proved to be his last.
Inspired by Pitbull, the “revolution” sweeping through NASCAR
The NASCAR Cup Series is changing. Whether it be the gradual morphing out the seasoned drivers of yesterday as the next generation step up, a radical calendar shake-up featuring more road courses than ever before and the prospect of an all-new car on the horizon, stock car racing’s highest level is nearing the end of a huge facelift.
The NASCAR storylines to watch out for in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season…
Why Kyle Larson can't blow his big shot at redemption
From a disgraced NASCAR exile, Kyle Larson has been given a chance of redemption by the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports squad. Effectively replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is no easy billing, but Larson has every intention of repaying the team's faith...
Why Roger Penske is an American motorsport icon
In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Roger Penske reveals the inner drive that has made him not only a hugely successful team owner and businessman but also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. He spoke to David Malsher-Lopez.
Why NASCAR's latest second-generation champion is just getting started
Chase Elliott's late charge to the 2020 NASCAR Cup title defied predictions that it would be a Kevin Harvick versus Denny Hamlin showdown. While the two veterans are showing no signs of slowing down, Elliott's triumph was a window into NASCAR's future…
Why Kyle Larson deserves his second chance in a cancel culture
“You can’t hear me? Hey n*****” Those fateful words uttered by Kyle Larson, spoken into his esports headset on April 12, were directed at his sim racing spotter – but instead they quickly became amplified around the world via social media, including his own Twitch stream.
