Denny Hamlin pit stop mistake ruins Coke 600 chance, knocking him out of contention at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night after an error on pit road forced a late-race dive down pit lane and relegated him to a 16th-place finish. Despite being one of the fastest drivers for much of the Coca-Cola 600, a critical fueling miscue erased Hamlin’s chance to battle for the win against competitors like William Byron and Ross Chastain.
Contenders Falter Amid Intense Competition
Through most of the race at Charlotte, Hamlin and Byron delivered standout performances and appeared primed to challenge for the checkered flag. Byron eventually contended for the win before ultimately losing to Ross Chastain, while Hamlin’s fortunes dramatically reversed late in the event due to a pit stop failure.
The pivotal moment occurred during Hamlin’s Lap 348 pit stop, when his team failed to deliver a full load of fuel into the No. 11 Toyota. This miscalculation forced Hamlin back to pit road on Lap 389, causing him to lose a top-three position and ending any hopes of a top finish.
Hamlin later addressed both his car’s speed and the abrupt end to his run, stating,
“Us and the 24 [Byron] were the class of the field for most of the day and then, the 1 [Chastain] came on really strong at the end. I would have loved to see that battle through, but obviously, once they told me I was short on fuel, at that point I had to stop chasing the 24 because I’m not going to risk getting in the fence when I’m too short on fuel.”
—Denny Hamlin, Driver
Unraveling the Critical Pit Mistake
The fuel stop error came at a particularly bad time for Hamlin and the No. 11 crew, erasing what had been a strong bid for victory. Crew chief Chris Gayle expressed surprise over the mishap, explaining that the secondary fuel can did not deliver as expected.
“For whatever reason, the second can, when they plugged it, barely took any fuel at all,”
Gayle said. —Chris Gayle, Crew Chief
He gave further details on the issue:
“I can’t tell from the view right now if it’s a bad plug, like open on the bottom. We saw a bunch of fuel coming out of the bottom. But it got about four gallons less than we expected. I would have needed to sit there for another two seconds to get four gallons in it. Unfortunate.”
—Chris Gayle, Crew Chief
The inability to fill the car properly required an additional pit stop and left Hamlin out of the lead group during the final laps. The incident not only derailed his evening, but further contributed to a turbulent stretch for both Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing team.
Recent Performance and Ongoing Frustrations
Hamlin’s 2025 NASCAR season has featured a mix of high points and disappointments. With two wins and two runner-up results already, he has shown race-winning speed. However, the Charlotte race marked his fifth consecutive event without a top-10 finish, underscoring a growing frustration with the disconnect between performance and results.
Hamlin described his mindset moving forward, sharing,
“I feel good about our performance. I feel crappy about how we finish,”
—Denny Hamlin, Driver. He went on to add,
“That’s been the story of the last month, and not much has changed.”
—Denny Hamlin, Driver
What This Means for Hamlin’s Campaign
The latest setback at the Coca-Cola 600 places added pressure on Hamlin and his crew to resolve operational missteps, especially as championship contenders like William Byron and Ross Chastain maintain their pace. For Hamlin, who is looking to regain momentum in the ongoing season, attention will now focus on tightening execution on pit road and turning race speed into better finishes as the NASCAR calendar continues.
