In a gripping race at Talladega Superspeedway, Denny Hamlin pointed fingers at Ross Chastain for hindering his advancement during the final laps of Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500. Hamlin, a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, saw his chances dwindle after his last pit stop left him trailing the pack, ultimately costing him a top-ten finish.
Hamlin was in a promising second place with 25 laps to go when he and his Toyota teammates made their final pit stop under green flag conditions. Emerging behind Spire Motorsports‘ Carson Hocevar, Hamlin found himself stuck as Hocevar maneuvered past Chastain and Cody Ware. However, Chastain’s No.1 Chevrolet blocked Hamlin, stalling the entire Toyota squad’s momentum.
This move created a bottleneck, forcing the field into two organized rows. The Next Gen cars struggled to overtake in the draft, leaving Hamlin battling among the backmarkers until the race’s conclusion. Expressing his disappointment to the press, Hamlin criticized the aggressive maneuvers of Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, which played a pivotal role in his race outcome.
Hamlin concluded the 188-lap race in 21st position, finishing just behind Ross Chastain. In contrast, Hocevar showcased a strong performance, clinching a top-ten finish in sixth place. The race results saw Hamlin slip to third in the standings, trailing 52 points behind the leader, William Byron.
Adding to the whirlwind day, Hamlin extended an apology to Christopher Bell, his JGR teammate, after inadvertently causing an incident early in the race. As Bell led on lap 52, Hamlin’s attempt to assist with a push resulted in Bell’s car spinning sideways, colliding with Chris Beuscher, and crashing into the inside wall. This mishap ended Bell’s race prematurely and left Hamlin perplexed over the radio before owning up and apologizing for the crash.
Starting in 11th place, Bell, who began the race ahead of Hamlin, faced a significant drop after his DNF, falling to fifth in the Driver’s standings with 307 points. Despite these setbacks, fans remained captivated by the race, eagerly discussing the implications of Ross Chastain’s tactics on the championship battle and future races. As the season progresses, the dramatic events at Talladega add another layer of tension and excitement to the NASCAR series.
