“This Was an Average Race for Us!” Denny Hamlin Partially Blames No:11 Crew for Richmond Loss

The NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday at Richmond ended up being a disappointing outing for Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin. He failed to take the fight to the main contenders Joey Logano (P1) and teammate Chase Briscoe (P2). The No:11 teams’ inability to deliver under pressure for the championship leader played a key role behind the struggles.

In the final 100 laps Hamlin, who has a fast Toyota Camry found himself involved in two bad pit-stop that slowed him down enough to relegate them to P4. The left-side jack stop breaking was reason for the botched up stop and they didn’t have enough laps left in the race to recover the 10 seconds as well as 11 positions they lost.

The last 100 was extremely fast. Obviously had two stops — the left-side jack stop was broken. It fell down, they couldn’t get the jack under the car, so that’s 10 seconds worth of extra pit stop. I think we ended 11 behind.

Denny Hamlin told media post-race.

The veteran was very critical of himself and his crew over the results after the race. Denny Hamlin admitted that they weren’t as exceptional as they should be for the homecoming race. He also took some blame for not matching the expectations by highlighting how his positioning during the restarts were sub-optimal.

This was an average race for us. We weren’t exceptional. We were much better than what we were here yesterday. Team made amazing adjustments overnight and then again amazing adjustments for the last 100. I just put us too far behind with some bad restarts, and obviously those last two pit stops.

Denny Hamlin added via motorsport.com.

Richmond Raceway honored the Denny Hamlin family

The hometown of Richmond showed their love and respect for the Hamlin family ahead of this Sunday’s race. The 45-year-old has always delivered results at the track, with the five wins making him the wingiest active driver.

In an image shared on his official Instagram page, that featured the veteran standing with his mother, wife and daughters, he unveiled the permanent spot allocated to the Hamlin’s at the track. It was often where the veterans’ parents Mary Lou and Dennis Hamlin spent.

Mom and Dad spent years at these seats. Commonwealth, Sec H, Row 11, Seats 10-11.

Denny Hamlin wrote about the honors in the caption.

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A post shared by Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin)

The end of the year 2025 was devastating for Hamlin, as he lost his ill father in a house fire that severely wounded his mother. Though the family has recovered from the tough moment that heartbreak is still there. The tribute from Richmond Raceway is perfect way to Honor the legacy of Hamlin’s parents who sacrificed everything for his racing career.

Also Read: Joey Logano Takes a Cheeky Dig at “Haters” His Cup Championship Legacy