Denny Hamlin on Xfinity race controversy erupted following the recent NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Portland International Speedway, where Connor Zilisch’s dramatic overtime maneuver sparked intense debate about race officiating and driver conduct. Zilisch clinched his eighth victory of the 2025 season amid questions about whether his actions at the chicane should have drawn a penalty, leading Hamlin and others in the community to voice strong concerns.
Controversy at Portland: Zilisch’s Move Under the Microscope
Connor Zilisch appeared dominant throughout Saturday’s race, leading 70 of 78 laps and starting from pole position. However, his win became the subject of scrutiny after the final restart in overtime. As the field raced into Turn 1, Zilisch appeared to lock up under braking and immediately darted left through the A-frame penalty zone. By bypassing the first corner, he re-emerged ahead of the pack just as chaos and wrecks broke out behind him in the turn. NASCAR officials opted not to penalize Zilisch for the move, a decision that quickly fueled debate within the sport.
“It was very controversial in the way he won it,”
—Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Driver
According to Hamlin, the controversy stems from perceptions that Zilisch did not genuinely attempt to take the first corner, instead planning to go off-track to avoid potential incidents.
“… I guess the uproar is that they feel he didn’t even attempt to make the first corner. He had it in his mind the entire time that I’m just going to blow this, run that chicane and see where I net out. That does two things for him. One, it’s really not that big of a time loss. Two, it would be well, now I’m gonna avoid the corner where the incidents happen the most often. You take yourself out of the opportunity of getting wrecked.”
—Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Driver
Hamlin Questions NASCAR’s Chicane Management
While Zilisch executed his strategy on track, Denny Hamlin was quick to shine a light on what he sees as underlying flaws in NASCAR’s rules and event setup. He argued that the existing system does not sufficiently penalize drivers who miss the chicane, allowing situations like Saturday’s to undermine fair competition.
“Is there any doubt that the best car won? No. Or the best driver won? No. That’s just not good sport. Not on Connor’s part, I’m talking about on the sport. You gotta do better than that,”
—Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Driver
“These chicanes have been exposed for a few years now, and you haven’t figured out a way to actually make them penalize you when you miss the track? Just poor planning. Poor lots of stuff.”
—Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Driver
Zilisch’s Perspective on the Decisive Turn 1 Incident
Intent or necessity remained a point of debate, but Zilisch himself provided insight after the victory. Recently back after collarbone surgery, he extended his regular season lead over JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier and addressed the Turn 1 maneuver that many found controversial. He acknowledged practicing the line he ended up using and described a split-second decision when he realized he would not make the corner.
“It’s kind of funny, I ran it in practice, and I was like, ‘it’s not even that slow,’”
—Connor Zilisch, NASCAR Driver
“As soon as I hit the brakes, I wheel-hopped, but kind of committed to it as soon as I realized I wasn’t going to make the corner. And it worked out. I wasn’t really planning on it, but last resort, you’ve gotta do what you gotta do.”
—Connor Zilisch, NASCAR Driver
Debate Surrounds NASCAR’s Handling and Future Implications
Zilisch’s ability to capitalize on the rules as written, and the lack of a corresponding penalty from NASCAR, have underscored broader concerns about the integrity of race outcomes and consistency in officiating. The episode comes at a time when drivers and fans are intensely focused on championship standings and safety. With Hamlin’s pointed criticism and Zilisch’s candid remarks, the incident has prompted renewed calls for NASCAR to revisit how chicane violations are adjudicated, so that future races are decided by ability, not loopholes or ambiguity.
Entities such as Brian Kelly and Kirk Herbstreit have been referenced around the sport in recent days, further highlighting how pivotal moments like this can become focal points for wider industry debate. As the Xfinity Series continues and the season unfolds, attention will remain fixed on whether NASCAR takes up the challenge of refining its track protocols to ensure fair play amid high-stakes competition at tracks like Portland International Speedway.
