Denny Hamlin reacts to Joey Logano & Co.’s unpopular call at the All-Star Race
NASCAR Cup Series star Denny Hamlin agreed with Team Penske’s decision to keep Joey Logano on track during the final caution in Sunday’s (May 18) NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The call, which left Logano vulnerable on old tires, came in for criticism after he lost the lead to Christopher Bell and finished second.
Logano stayed out under the “Promoter’s Caution” on Lap 217, while Bell and a few others pitted for fresh tires. The #22 car kept the lead at the restart, but Bell quickly moved through the field. He passed Logano on Lap 241 and pulled away to win the $1 million race.
Logano led 139 laps, the most of anyone, but came up 0.829 seconds short at the checkered flag. Denny Hamlin, who finished the race in 12th, shared his thoughts during the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast. He defended the choice to stay out, saying it looked like the right move at the time.
“So many of these restarts come down to what happens in the first few corners,” Hamlin noted (via Dirty Mo Media). “I watched the first corner, and had Christopher Bell not been able to get to the inside of Carson Hocevar, he doesn't win the race, but he got three cars in that first lap. Once those fresh tires get to third place after one lap, you're cooked.”
He also pointed out that even Ryan Blaney, Logano’s teammate, who restarted next to him, couldn't hold his position. Blaney dropped back quickly and wasn’t able to help Logano hold off Bell.
“He (Blaney) lost all of his buffer for sure pretty quickly…” Denny Hamlin added. “It wasn't really about tire wear as much as it was tire heat… Once he (Bell) got there in the first lap, I don't think that there was going to be any legit defense he (Logano) would have had to the #20 car to stop him from passing him without absolutely just trashing him.”
Ross Chastain, who also stayed out during the caution, finished third. Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five.
Denny Hamlin calls out Logano for speaking against the promoter's caution after the race
Denny Hamlin also pushed back against Joey Logano’s criticism of the promoter’s caution used in Sunday’s race. The JGR driver said Logano and other drivers should have raised concerns before the race, not after the caution impacted the outcome.
The promoter’s caution was a new rule for this year’s All-Star Race. It gave the race promoter the power to call a caution at any point before Lap 220. That decision was made on Lap 217, bunching up the field just as Logano led.
After losing the lead and finishing second, Logano spoke out against the rule. On his podcast, Denny Hamlin said he believes the rule did its job. He reminded listeners that the All-Star Race isn’t part of the regular season and is meant to be entertaining.
“I think if we did any complaining, we needed to do it before the race and not post," Hamlin said (28:30 onwards). "Just simply because while we all might not be in agreement that it's a good thing or a bad thing or shouldn't, is a gimmick or not. Of course it's a gimmick… I think that it accomplished what it was designed to accomplish.”
Denny Hamlin will be back in Cup Racing action on Sunday, May 25, in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.