KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin narrowly missed securing his 60th NASCAR Cup Series victory during the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday. Despite a strong performance and a late-race push, Hamlin finished just behind the leaders in NASCAR Overtime, continuing his pursuit of this career milestone.
Dominant Performance Undermined by Pit Stop Errors
Starting second, Hamlin dominated much of the race by leading 159 of the 273 laps and winning the first two stages to collect the most points from the event. His Joe Gibbs Racing team provided a fast car, giving him confidence throughout the race.
The team just did an amazing job with the car. It was really, really fast. They gave me everything I needed.
— Denny Hamlin, NASCAR driver
However, trouble arose in the closing laps when a caution was triggered by debris from Kyle Busch’s blown tire with just 14 laps remaining. During the ensuing pit stops under caution, a two-tire change for Hamlin was poorly executed, dropping him back to sixth place.
Battle in Overtime Ends in Narrow Defeat
Hamlin fought back after the pit stop and remained competitive as the race resumed, ultimately reaching a side-by-side duel with Bubba Wallace on the final lap of NASCAR Overtime. Despite a solid restart, Hamlin was unable to hold off his challengers in the last corners of the race.
Got the restart I needed, I just couldn’t finish there on the last corner,
Hamlin admitted.
I got really, really, tight with the 23 (Bubba Wallace) and let the 9 (Chase Elliott) win.
Outlook on Playoffs and Next Steps
Looking ahead to the Charlotte ROVAL race next weekend, which marks the cutoff for the Round of 12 in the playoffs, Hamlin holds a comfortable fourth place in the standings. He currently enjoys a 48-point lead above the playoff elimination threshold, positioning himself well for continued postseason competition.
