Denny Hamlin to start from rear of Brickyard 400 field after crash
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — One of the favorites for the NASCAR Cup Series’ Brickyard 400 will have to start in the rear of the field Sunday after a crash in qualifying.
Denny Hamlin will start shotgun on the field after getting loose off of turn two and crashing hard into the inside wall.
After the crash, Hamlin described the crash on social media with two words: “Over send.”
Hamlin will start 39th. If he can win Sunday, it would be the worst starting position for a Brickyard 400 winner ever. The worst starting position for a Brickyard 400 winner is 27th, which is where Jeff Gordon started in 2001.
If Hamlin can win Sunday, it would also be the worst recorded start for any of his would-be 59 career wins in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Hamlin’s worst start in a win was 38th at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 22, 2009. He took the lead for the first time on lap 158 of 267 and led 71 of the final 110 laps to win that day.
The stakes are higher for Hamlin this time around. The Brickyard 400 is the only crown jewel win missing from Hamlin’s resume. He has won the Daytona 500, the Southern 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, as well as the Bristol night race and at Talladega.
In his 20th Cup season, time is ticking but he likely has at least two more seasons left beyond 2025. Hamlin earned a multi-year contract extension that will see him race the No. 11 car likely through 2027.
Hamlin has four wins on the 2025 season, including last Sunday at Dover. He has 58 wins on his career, dating back to his first at Pocono in June 2006.
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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