Denny Hamlin already solidified his place in the playoff. Known for his aggressive driving manoeuvre Hamlin is completely aware what are the things required to clinch victories on the final laps. Denny Hamlin showcased the hunger to win many times while the race was about to reach a climax. Similarly, Denny Hamlin tried to make a bold move to snatch the lead from Chase Elliott at Texas after the first overtime restart.
Unfortunately, Denny’s Toyota couldn’t make a move to surpass Chase Elliott. But the #11 driver noticed a quality in HMS driver which helped him to clinch a remarkable victory that he recently shared on his podcast ‘Actions Detrimental’ as per the recent post on X.
"Absolutely I would consider them [Chase Elliott & his team] a championship threat." 9️⃣📈 pic.twitter.com/H3uFGtC2MN
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) April 15, 2024
Denny said, “I got us on a restart, and then he held those guys off for the win. So that’s a legitimate race win. And what that does for a driver’s confidence is I can’t tell you how much it helps because now he’s like, okay, this is how aggressive I have to be. This is what I need out of my car for it to be fast. You start to understand all those things, and next thing you know, these wins start just reeling off. And so absolutely I would consider them a championship threat”
“Green and white checkered” drama at Texas
As the laps dwindled, Elliott, representing Hendrick Motorsports, found himself in the lead. Hamlin, piloting the #11 Yahoo! Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, was determined to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Approaching turn 3, Hamlin made his move, aiming to overtake the #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver.
But fate had other plans. Hamlin’s car wiggled, its rear end breaking loose. The #11 Toyota Camry XSE spun violently, careening into the wall. The caution flag unfurled, signaling impending chaos. Elliott, unscathed, seized the opportunity, clinching the win during an overtime restart.
For Hamlin, it was a bitter pill to swallow. In a post-race interview, he lamented, “Just got loose up in turn 3. It’s something I’ve been fighting all day. When you got to push it the most on a green and white checkered, I knew that the likely scenario was I wasn’t going to make it out of the corner with as much speed as I was carrying, but it’s trying to go for the win.”
READ MORE: Throwback: Not enough people believed Chase Elliott wrecked Denny Hamlin at 180mph
