Rare engine failure takes Denny Hamlin out early at Sonoma
SONOMA, Cali. — For just the third time this season and the 11th time since the start of 2023, an engine failure took a driver out of a NASCAR Cup Series race early.
Denny Hamlin blew an engine on lap 2 of 110. At first, it was thought to be a possible tire failure. Then, drivers behind him started slipping as Hamlin radioed to his crew.
“It’s f-cking detonated,” he said.
Last year, Hamlin wrecked after leading 33 laps. With the issues this year, he has now finished last at Sonoma two years in a row.
It’s rare to finish last in a race two years in a row. And it’s becoming exceedingly rare to blow an engine in a Cup Series race at all.
In the 58 races since the start of the 2023 season, there have been 11 engine failures. Eight of them happened in 2023:
- Austin Cindric – Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum
- Ty Dillon – Daytona 500, Auto Club Speedway (two weeks in a row)
- Bubba Wallace – Auto Club Speedway
- Matt Crafton – Bristol Dirt
- Noah Gragson – Coca-Cola 600
- BJ McLeod – Southern 500
- Martin Truex Jr. – Homestead-Miami Speedway
In 2024, there have been just three failures:
- Justin Haley, Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum
- Zane Smith, Spring Bristol race
- Denny Hamlin, Sonoma
Smith’s engine failure came after he had sustained damage in a race already. Haley and Hamlin’s failures came “unprovoked.”
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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