Highlights
Denny Hamlin may have made a move that comes back to cost him a Cup Series championship. He overtook Ross Chastain on the final lap of the Bank of America ROVAL 400. The move seemed like a routine pass at first glance, but it resulted in keeping Joey Logano, a key rival and a fierce playoff driver, in the hunt for the Cup Series title.
In the winding moments of the race, Chastain had been in a position that would have put him through to the Round of 8. But when Hamlin passed him, he got equal on points with Logano. He made a desperate move to try passing the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran again, but only ended up spinning them both on the front chicane.
Logano finished in 20th place. Chastain, following the spin, reversed his car across the checkered flag in 21st place. This advanced Logano to the next round by four points. The one person who must feel as terrible as, or even more so than Chastain in light of this outcome is Hamlin.
The No. 11 driver is gunning for his first Cup Series championship and he would have rather had Chastain in the mix than the defending champion. He even admitted in his post-race interviews that he might have made a different decision about passing Chastain had his crew informed him what was at stake.
Hamlin was just as surprised as the rest of the community that his crew did not find it necessary to inform him about the positions of Chastain and Logano. He said, "It was a surprise because no one told me anything. I just had absolutely no idea. I didn't know if I was racing for 25th or 10th. I had no idea my position."
"The track is all spread out. The cars are spreadout. I had no idea of anything. I was just cutting along in that last run and it looked like the No. 1 obviously, you know, his tires blew off. But yeah, I didn't know he was desperate. I wish I had."
He continued to acknowledge that he would have done what's best for himself had he known about the situation. Notably, he was seen ranting to his crew chief, Chris Gayle, after the race, mentioning, "I would not have passed him!"
Hamlin has spent two decades chasing championships. This time, the obstacle that stops him might not be a bad car or terrible luck. It might be the failure of communication that gave one of his biggest threats a lifeline. Should Logano dominate in the Round of 8, the ROVAL pass could become something that Hamlin regrets forever.
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