“As far as just pure racing (is concerned), it’s hard to say.” NASCAR’s King, Richard Petty, had a simple verdict for the Goodyear 400. Good finish for Hamlin, not so great for the rest of the field. He wouldn’t be wrong about it, would he? Byron led for two whole stages only to come up short due to his teammate’s error.

However, it wasn’t all that easy for Denny Hamlin. In the end, it came down to decisions drivers take in certain moments that determine how an entire race turns out. And that’s what Denny Hamlin did. He took a gamble late into the race.

We’re not talking about his pit stop after the Kyle Larson incident. This decision goes back quite a few laps into Sunday’s Goodyear 400.

When there were just 50 laps left to go, race leader William Byron came into the pits. Other drivers would follow suit soon, and Hamlin knew this well. 5 laps later with 45 to do, Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 car tucked down the pit road for a quick change. Explaining how the move felt, Hamlin said, “Horrible. It was bad… I was in the top 4 there. But you know we made the decision to pit. We thought most of the field was going to pit. We didn’t want to be one of the last cars that didn’t pit. Having new tires behind us was going to be a bad equation for us. We pitted, went back to like 20th, and it was just not good back there. I think we were able to claw our way somewhere to the top 10, but even with fresher tires it was a bear.” 

On a circuit where track position is key, Hamlin knew he would lose a key advantage, yet he persevered. His call to pit was strategic and involved sacrificing his race lead. However, there were more important things at play too. Tire degradation seemed quick, and grip fell off quickly. That meant the new tires would soon show just how strong they could be. With just 31 laps to go, Hamlin had already overtaken cars, some that went to the pit and some on the track to get back into 6th place.

Eventually, Hamlin, who lurked in fifth place behind the No. 24 car of William Byron, managed to overtake the Hendrick Motorsports driver, then take on Christopher Bell in front of him, and slotted right behind Tyler Reddick in the lead and Ryan Blaney giving chase. Eventually, as Kyle Larson made his fateful mistake, Denny Hamlin took advantage of the situation. In retrospect, had Hamlin not made the difficult choice to pit from the race lead, he might not have been in the right spot to make the pit call for the final caution.

And what a moment it would be crossing the finish line for Hamlin. In the moment, he didn’t forget who to thank for his victory. “There’s two people I really love right now: My pit crew and Kyle Larson. So had a little assist there so thank you. The pit crew just did an amazing job. They won it last week. They won it this week. It’s all about them.” But that wasn’t all. The crew had been waiting to show what they could do.

Hamlin added, “Last week, the pit crew got a lot of attention on different things they were doing and for them to get to showcase it at the end of this race in a green-white-checkered situation where they know that if they get you out with a lead, your chances of winning are pretty high. They were salivating at that opportunity, and they took advantage of it.” 

Well, the crew certainly has won over JGR management, but fans should also remember the real brains behind these calls: the crew chief. Ever since Gabehart moved to a different role in Joe Gibbs Racing hierarchy, Denny Hamlin has Chris Gayle stepping into the crew chief role, and he hasn’t disappointed. “Whether it’s the Pit Crew or the Road Crew, that 11 team is intact from last year. Chris Gale leading them now, so they were already strong last year. They haven’t missed a beat this year at all. And again when you look across the whole team, when you don’t have a strong day but you can rally the way we did, that’s when you know your team has really put together well,” Gabehart explained.

Regardless, it’s these gambles that define a driver’s ability, and JGR knows that well. JGR President Dave Alpern summarised it best when talking about the final stop. “And Chris Gale, I told him about that. No, it was a, that was a, that was a great win for the team. That was a pit, I mean, that was a pit stop. That just shows you right there in the end how clutch down the track position. So it was, I’m super happy for the 11 guys just to get him out of a stop.”

Denny Hamlin pays special tribute to a former teammate

Now, the Goodyear 400 wasn’t just about Denny Hamlin’s win. It was the iconic Throwback Weekend. Drivers in cars decked out in nostalgic colors. It was an incredible experience for fans. And turning it even more special was Denny Hamlin sporting the red and black colors of his old teammate, Carl Edwards. After Edwards’ infamous exit nearly a decade ago, his return to the sport was a welcome addition in the last few months.

With Hamlin donning his colors, it seemed as if he channeled his inner Edwards, mimicking the veteran’s effort in creating a strong Darlington performance. Speaking about it after the race, Hamlin said, “He mentioned, actually before the race, ‘Don’t go winning this race, I don’t want to have to do any backflips.’ I was super proud to represent Carl and that paint scheme. Certainly, got to know him as teammates, and certainly, really a role model off the race track. Listening to his life experience, if you haven’t checked out his interview on the Dale Jr Download, it’s absolutely fantastic. Just kind of on his whole perspective on this thing, and why he chose to step away.”

The No. 11 car’s victory was an added benefit for the veteran driver. Having left the sport after losing a closely contested title, it was good to see Edwards’ color scheme return to winning ways. And who better to do that than Denny Hamlin, another driver who knows what it’s like to come close to the Cup Series title and not win it.