Denny Hamlin nearly top-10 after late-race spin at Phoenix
Despite a spin sending Denny Hamlin back to 23rd with 92 laps to go, Hamlin nearly managed to snag a top-10 finish.
Hamlin finished 11th after placing third in both stages.
“It was a good day. Obviously the finish wasn’t very good. A good overall day, a lot more competitive than we’ve been,” Hamlin said.
Third was where Hamlin felt he ran.
” It felt like there were two cars, 20 at times, 45. Then there was us. Unfortunately, the restart we spun out and we got put to the back and that was it,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin spun while racing Tyler Reddick for the lead. It happened as they came in turn one and he was trying something to be better than Reddick.
“I got beat on a few restarts by the 45 on the high side. I tried pushing the entry as much as I could and I just couldn’t hold my line there,” Hamlin said.
Despite the relatively-poor finish, Hamlin earned the fourth-most points of any driver (42). He also led the most laps (68 of 312 laps) in a Phoenix race for the first time since leading 143 of 312 in the Fall 2019 race.
Hamlin also had some positive comments for the new package run Sunday.
“It seemed like I could maneuver around the track more. It wasn’t tied to one line. I thought it was decent on restarts. I don’t know, it just seemed more competitive,” Hamlin said.
Still, he acknowledged passing was tough.
“It took a long time. I got stuck behind a couple guys, the 99, the 10. But again, the change with the car and the aerodynamic devices, it’s not much of a change. You need to be significantly better to get by,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin heads to Bristol Motor Speedway with the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field. The last time the Cup Series field raced at Bristol, Hamlin won.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com