Denny Hamlin airs it out on pit road error by gas man, costing chance to win Charlotte

Denny Hamlin had some interesting things to say about the fueling error that happened on pit road at Charlotte on Sunday. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin explained why he didn’t receive enough fuel late in the race.

“It looked like just none of the second can fuel got plugged in,” Hamlin said. “Obviously, we saw it running down onto the ground. I haven’t talked to anyone, but it seems as though when I look at it, he just didn’t get it plugged correctly. If you don’t have the head of your fuel can perfectly straight and in line when it goes to plug in, it won’t dispatch the fuel into the car. Instead, it will open up the valve in the fuel can, but it will just run out onto the ground.”

Denny Hamlin later said that he’s frustrated because fueling issues have happened to him multiple times. “In the last three or four years… I’ve had to pit on the white flag lap of Pocono while leading,” he said. “I’m like f**k me, man.”

Denny Hamlin priases pit crew despite fuel mishap at Charlotte

Hamlin might be frustrated, but he’s not going to get on his pit crew for the mishap. “That’s the team’s place. I’m the driver,” Hamlin explained. “It’s not my job to yell at the offensive linemen. I get it that the quarterback does sometimes, but they’re trying. It’s not like they’re trying to screw up. It happens. It happens sometimes. I have an issue because I only know what has happened to me. I don’t know what has happened to anyone else.

“…I just know over the last few years, the lack of fuel that I have at the end of the race is a lot. It is a lot, and it drives me crazy because it happens so often.” Hamlin then praised the pit crew because “they picked me up seven spots on the first pit stop,” and then “three or four on the next.”

Hamlin began the Coca-Cola 600 20th and worked his way to No. 1. He led 53 laps before he had to save his fuel following the mishap. Hamlin finished 16th but is still in a good position as he’s third in the playoff standings and sixth in Cup points.