After rain delayed the start of Sunday's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway for more than an hour, and a rash of in-race cautions forced the 400-mile race to last well past midnight on the east coast, Denny Hamlin was in victory lane for the second time in a points-paying race this season and the 62nd time in his NASCAR Cup Series career.
Hamlin started the race from the pole after NASCAR elected to cancel Saturday's qualifying session and give the drivers a 45-minute practice session instead, after rain moved through the area. His race was far from straightforward, though, after a blatant start violation forced him to serve an immediate pass-through penalty and drive his way back through the field.
Fortunately for Hamlin, he had more than enough pace to stay on the lead lap and a timely competition caution on lap 35 to overcome the early adversity. The bizarre penalty, one that Prime Video noted was the first career start/restart violation in Hamlin's 735th Cup Series start, was just the latest reminder of the veteran proving what fans have known for 20 years.
With that said, there was more to Hamlin's win just outside the Music City than his ability to bounce back from the start violation.
After winning the All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway, Hamlin admitted that he still needs to get better on restarts. He may not have had the outright pace we are accustomed to seeing in the No. 11 Toyota, but Hamlin put together a phenomenal final restart with four laps to go and provided some fireworks that were especially fitting on a chaotic night at the 1.333-mile (2.145-kilometer) concrete oval.
Denny Hamlin's resilient Nashville win could spell trouble for the field
Hamlin wasted no time getting around teammate Chase Briscoe on the final restart and immediately dove inside teammate Christopher Bell in a battle that would continue side-by-side until the final lap. Despite Briscoe's three-wide attempt on the top coming to the white flag, Hamlin carried his momentum through the exit of turn two and held on to win by 0.115 seconds.
That is the type of driving we have come to expect from Hamlin, but the fact that it all started on the restart is a reminder of how dangerous he can be when his launches are better. Granted, he was not the control car, a situation in which he has lost races on numerous occasions in the past, but he still needed to get through the gears and time the restart out to give himself the best possible shot at the win.
Hamlin still led a race-high 57 laps, but it was clear that he did not have the dominant car, as nine different drivers led double-digit laps. Consistently, though, Hamlin has been the driver to beat each weekend, even though his 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick possesses a series-high five wins and a 97-point lead in the standings.
Still, Hamlin is the all-time winningest driver to never win a championship and has endured countless missed opportunities. Look no further than the 2025 championship race at Phoenix Raceway, where a late caution and strategy call led to more heartbreak.
With the return of the "Chase" format and a larger emphasis on consistency and points each week, Hamlin is arguably the first driver who comes to mind as one who could benefit. There is no denying his talent and the blistering speed in the Toyotas this season, especially after a 1-2-3 finish for JGR at Nashville, leaving no excuse whatsoever for him to come away empty-handed once again by season's end.
Sure, Hamlin even admitted after Sunday's race that there was "no arguing" his start violation. It was clear as day that he launched way before the restart zone and completely wiped away his track position before the field even reached the start-finish line. It was the latest bizarre mistake we have seen from him throughout his career, only this time, he overcame it and earned his first Nashville win.
Hamlin has long been criticized for beating himself, but Sunday's win proved to his competitors that he can still put himself in victory lane even when the pace and the circumstances throughout the race do not entirely work out in his favor.
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