“I was checking up, so that’s embarrassing.” These words came from Kyle Larson, who tried to explain his No. 5 Chevrolet’s actions in the waning laps of Sunday’s race. The Hendrick Motorsports driver spurred two cautions during the Goodyear 400 – and the second of those wildly twisted the climax of the race. While Tyler Reddick could have gained from it, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin could have slipped up. Yet, Hamlin came back out on top just due to his pit crew’s resilience.

Does that ring a bell? Several times in the past, Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota pit crew has shone above the rest in the Cup Series garage. They rank first in the Cup Series grid for average four-tire pit stop time at a stellar 9.650 seconds for 2025. Due to their diligent efforts, Hamlin could brush past the caution. Yet, the veteran shed light on how even that situation jitters him.

Denny Hamlin unravels the late-race problem

Remember the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway? Last April, Martin Truex Jr. thought he was going to win in his final year after leading for 288 laps. Then, Kyle Larson got nudged from behind on the front straightaway and skidded into the infield, causing a late-race caution. That muddled up the race lead wildly, as Denny Hamlin’s pit crew was lightning fast and Hamlin controversially jumped the inside lane and went on to win the race. Doesn’t that seem eerily similar to this year’s Goodyear 400? William Byron led for 243 laps, and it was Ryan Blaney who was hoping to charge to the victory after toppling Tyler Reddick on lap 291.

Just then, Kyle Larson again set off a caution after watching Reddick get pancaked against the wall. Larson checked up and slammed his rear into Bubba Wallace, who was caught completely off guard. Meanwhile, the No. 45 Toyota team frantically went to pit road – despite beating Blaney, they could not edge past Denny Hamlin’s lightning-fast 9.42-second pit stop. In a recent ‘Actions Detrimental’ episode, Hamlin slipped the overarching worry for most people: “You’re really crossing your fingers that no caution comes.“ That is because a late-race caution switches things up in an instant. Kyle Larson himself was a victim of a late caution not too long ago.

During the Homestead Xfinity race, where Kyle Larson was attempting a weekend sweep, he was primed to win the race. After securing a win in the Truck Series on Friday, Larson led the field by as much as 17 seconds in the Xfinity race! However, a caution with 8 laps to go saw that lead squandered, and after getting shoved on the ensuing restart by Sam Mayer, Larson’s hopes of a weekend triple were swept away. Hamlin knows how detrimental a late race caution can be to a team using a long-run strategy, and put himself in Tyler Reddick’s shoes while dissecting the matter further.

Denny Hamlin continued, “Maybe the 45 team [Tyler Reddick] was predicting there would be a caution before the end. And so they’re like, ‘Let’s just pit short, get the lead, and when the caution comes – those guys that went long, they’re going to be further back, 4th, 5th, 6th, wherever they’re going to be. We just jump them, and now it’s our race to lose.” Despite the 23XI Racing 45 team predicting there would be a caution, they could not reap the full benefits of it.

The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran further explained how in an ordinary situation, he would have preferred no caution to take place. At Homestead-Miami Speedway, that is how he could clinch a top-five finish. However, the ‘Lady in Black’ inclined the caution in his favor, given that the No. 11 pit crew was extraordinarily fast. Denny Hamlin continued about Reddick’s strategy: “If you pit early…you’re able to set the pace, you’re putting the leader in dirty air or whoever you just passed. Beyond that, it’s just the distance that you gain in the short amount of time that takes us and the 12 the entire amount of time to get it all back. So it worked out well for us if you look at Homestead and now here – but it worked out well because the caution didn’t come out.”

After Denny Hamlin stole the Darlington win, he left William Byron and Ryan Blaney chafing with regret. However, he also left Michael Jordan beaming with pride as the 23XI Racing co-owner hyped him up before the race.

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Getting a salute from the GOAT

Well, everybody is well aware of Michael Jordan‘s magnificent achievements in sports. He led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships (1991-93, 1996-98). In 1992, Jordan also played on the U.S Olympic ‘Dream Team,’ which won the basketball gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics. When the legend decided to venture into NASCAR, he was aware of the caliber of driver he was teaming up with.

Denny Hamlin has spent two decades in the stock car racing series, gathering 56 Cup Series race wins. Although a championship still eludes him, the JGR veteran is undoubtedly a force to reckon with in the sport. That is evident in the bittersweet reputation he heralds with pride – Hamlin does not mind fans booing him at racetracks. In fact, he roars back at them with slogans like ‘I beat your favorite driver’ or ’11 Against The World.’

This fiercely confident nature is what enthralls Michael Jordan about his 23XI Racing partner. Before Denny Hamlin won in Darlington, Jordan hailed him: “He is a clown, but that’s him. That’s Denny. He’s a very confident driver. He is a very confident person. His competitive juice is no different than mine.” Jordan also rooted for Hamlin’s long-overdue prize: “I want him to win a championship so badly because I think he’s earned that, you know, because of what he’s done for the sport for so long. And he’s gonna grind it out. That’s just the way Denny is and if you boo him, that makes him better. You know, you boo me, that makes me better. I mean, that’s just the nature of a good competitor.”

Denny Hamlin’s glorious streak shows that he has speed and luck on his side in 2025. Let us wait and see if another late-race caution in a future event acts in his favor or not.