0.049 seconds, that’s how close Denny Hamlin came to snapping a 29-race winless streak, which dates back to the April 2024 event at Dover Motor Speedway, in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
Race all day … and it comes down to ???? much. #NASCAR https://t.co/hl8hg8sgy5 pic.twitter.com/tUcCMuOwEF
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025
Ultimately, Hamlin didn’t pull off the win as Christopher Bell snagged his third consecutive victory, but after two near-misses in the opening four races, it looks like a return to victory lane will be in the cards for the 44-year-old driver.
After expressing initial frustration on his team radio after crossing the finish line in the runner-up spot, Hamlin credited his Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, and team for making his car better all race long and giving him a chance to snag his first win of the season.
“Got better and better as it went. Pit crew did a phenomenal job to keep us in the game when we had a bad stop in the middle. They made up for it at the end,” Hamlin said. “First time we were able to get some clean air all day. Obviously our car was really fast. Really kind of wanted it to stay green there ’cause I thought in the long runs is really where we were going to be able to excel, especially on these tires.”
While Hamlin, one of the best at tire conservation in the NASCAR Cup Series ranks, didn’t want to see the late caution flags, he still found himself very much in a position to win Sunday’s race. In fact, using a great shove from Kyle Larson, Hamlin narrowly took the lead from Bell with one lap to go.
However, in a side-by-side battle over the final lap, Bell eventually slid Hamlin wide in the final Turn, which allowed Bell to get the launch he needed off of Turn 4 to win the race.
“…We got a good restart. The 5 really gave me a great push on the frontstretch on the restart, down the backstretch,” Hamlin explained. “I had kind of position on the 20. I knew he was going to ship it in there. He had to use me. He could. Obviously we just kind of ran out of racetrack there.”
While it was disappointing to just miss out on the win, it was a great day overall for Hamlin and his No. 11 team, and the Joe Gibbs Racing team overall, as the organization swept the top-two spots in the final running order of Sunday’s race.
Now, Hamlin will head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he has one career win, which came in the Fall of 2021. The Virginia native will look to secure his 12th consecutive NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berth with a win in Sin City.
