Denny Hamlin, despite being 44 years old, continues to dominate the 2025 NASCAR season with five victories, making him the most successful driver so far. However, his momentum was disrupted in the recent playoff round following an incident at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), where a crash caused by Cody Ware’s reckless attempt at retaliation changed the course of his race.
How Hamlin’s Race at New Hampshire Was Impacted by Cody Ware’s Crash
Hamlin started the NHMS event in ninth place and showed improvement by finishing eighth in the second stage. With 40 laps left in the final stage, he was pushing hard to break into the top five. His efforts were promising until a yellow flag interrupted the race. The caution came after Cody Ware tried to retaliate against Austin Dillon for an earlier on-track incident by attempting to spin Dillon’s car. Ware missed his target, spun himself, and crashed into the outside wall, forcing the caution and severely affecting Hamlin’s progress. As a result, Hamlin dropped several positions and settled for a twelfth-place finish.
Hamlin’s Frustration Over Ware’s Reckless Behavior
On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin openly criticized Ware’s decision, calling it “just stupid” and reinforcing a crucial racing rule that drivers should never wreck themselves while trying to take out someone else. He emphasized the point that Rick Ware Racing is not in a position to afford damaging their cars with ill-advised moves.
“That was just stupid. Just dumb. Rule number one is you never wreck yourself when you’re trying to wreck someone else… I don’t think Rick Ware Racing is in a position to be tearing up race cars.”
— Denny Hamlin, NASCAR driver
Hamlin further underlined that the crash directly prevented him from achieving a top-five finish, explaining that he was running right behind competitors like William Byron and Kyle Larson. He believed the finish would have been strong without the disruption.
“I mean, were we going to finish fifth before freaking Cody Ware tried to wreck Austin Dillon? I think we were running fifth right behind Byron and Larson, so it was… we’re still going to have a good day.”
— Denny Hamlin, NASCAR driver
Hamlin’s Struggles on Restarts and Playoff Standing
The #11 car’s poor restarts at NHMS further hampered Hamlin’s race, contributing to his 28-point haul from the event. Currently, he holds fifth place in the playoffs, maintaining a 27-point cushion above the elimination threshold. Although not in immediate danger, Hamlin expressed dissatisfaction with how his season is progressing heading into the next race at Kansas Speedway.
Following the New Hampshire race, Hamlin commented on his difficulties with the car’s performance, particularly on restarts where starting at the bottom of the pack prevented him from advancing. He acknowledged the need for improvements in speed, car handling, and his own driving to regain competitive edge.
“Every time we started on the bottom, just could not get anything going, and so obviously it cost us some positions there from where we probably would’ve finished. But just got to get a little better, and certainly we didn’t come here with our best. Got to get a little faster, got to get the car handling better, and I’ve certainly got to do a better job.”
— Denny Hamlin, NASCAR driver
Looking Ahead: Hamlin’s Drive Toward a Championship
With four Kansas victories under his belt, Hamlin will aim to capitalize on this upcoming race venue to secure a spot in the playoff’s top eight. His ongoing campaign to earn a first-ever NASCAR Cup Series championship faces renewed urgency as the playoffs continue.
Denny Hamlin’s criticism of Cody Ware’s ill-timed crash highlights the frustration and tension within the playoff battles and emphasizes the fine margins affecting championship contenders this season. How Hamlin manages these challenges at Kansas will be crucial to his championship ambitions.
