Denny Hamlin Salvages Decent Finish After Late Race Spin
9 months agoDespite winning the pole at Phoenix, Denny Hamlin was somewhat disappointing as he had an 0-3 lead change record, being passed once by his teammate Ty Gibbs on Lap 1 and twice by his driver Tyler Reddick after taking the lead in the pits twice due to having the best pit stall. Early in Stage 3, Hamlin attempted to retake the lead from Reddick but his car broke loose while alongside and he bounced off Reddick's car before spinning out and bringing out the caution. Luckily, there was no damage to his car nor the car he owned (Reddick's) and Hamlin rallied back for an 11th-place finish. Hamlin still tied Reddick for the most laps led in the race and ranked second overall with a speed percentile of 92.51, so his performance was certainly still solid. However, since Toyota drivers swept the top five positions in average speed in the race, he had to be expecting more when it came to finishing position.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference