After dominating Levels 1 and a pair of and main 159 laps, Hamlin watched his sixtieth profession win slip away within the last lap after tangling together with his personal driver, Bubba Wallace. As an alternative of hoisting the trophy, Hamlin settled for P2 as Chase Elliott capitalized.
For Gordon, with 93 victories and 4 championships, that form of heartbreak is all too acquainted. His perspective cuts by way of the noise as followers dissect Hamlin’s aggressive playoff transfer and its expensive fallout, drawing a painful parallel between two drivers who know precisely the way it feels to let one get away.
Denny Hamlin’s heartbreak isn’t one thing new
In a post-race dialogue on Cup Scene’s YouTube channel, Jeff Gordon opened up in regards to the lingering agony of races misplaced resulting from private missteps, drawing a direct line to Denny Hamlin’s irritating end at Kansas.
“I can’t bear in mind lots of the ones that I gained, however I can let you know all those I misplaced,” Gordon shared, emphasizing how selections like unhealthy restarts or miscues hang-out drivers after they’re “in your watch or in your fingers.”
This reflection stems from Gordon‘s storied profession, the place, regardless of 93 Cup wins and titles in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001, setbacks like his 2015 Martinsville spring race dashing penalty occurred, the place he confessed, “When it’s on you, it hurts.”
“And that’s the best way I really feel proper now. I really feel ache as a result of we had a golden alternative proper there, and I ruined it for us,” leaving deep scars. Now, for Hamlin, who entered Kansas with 59 profession victories and chasing Kevin Harvick‘s sixtieth, the parallel feels particularly poignant after a race he dominated early on.
“I bought actually near the 23. If I needed to do it once more, I believe I’d run somewhat bit decrease to permit an area between us so I don’t get so tight,” Denny Hamlin defined post-race, proudly owning the desperation fueled by a poor pit cease that dropped him to sixth earlier than the ultimate push. This admitted error, in opposition to his personal 23XI Racing co-owned automobile, not solely value Hamlin the win but additionally left Wallace in fifth, amplifying the remorse in a playoff spherical the place factors are razor-thin.
Hamlin‘s P2 end result, whereas robust on paper, masked a real missed alternative, as his dominance. Had he not been grappling with the ability steering points since Lap 214, the place he dove low into Flip 3 and made contact with teammate Bubba Wallace, he can be celebrating his legacy. However it was NASCAR’s hottest driver’s day.
Chase Elliott, restarting from eighth, claimed his twenty first profession win and secured a Spherical of 8 spot simply 0.069 seconds forward of Hamlin. And, Gordon didn’t draw back from pondering the what-ifs of the identical, noting, “I don’t know what was going to occur there if Denny wrapped the underside as an alternative of, you recognize, form of utilizing Bubba up. However I nonetheless assume Chase had an ideal shot at it simply due to the brand new tires.”
For Chase Elliott, the wild double-overtime restart at Kansas was the break he wanted. For Denny Hamlin, the win would have meant one thing deeper than simply one other trophy.
“I wished it for my dad, for everyone. Simply wished it somewhat bit too arduous,” Hamlin admitted afterward, his voice carrying the load of one other near-miss. He leaves Kansas nonetheless 48 factors above the cutline heading into the Roval, however the sting is obvious. One late squeeze in opposition to Bubba Wallace in Flip 4 opened the door for Elliott to slide by each Toyotas and steal the checkered flag on Lap 273, six laps past the scheduled distance. Ultimately, Hamlin ruined it for himself, an agony Jeff Gordon is aware of all too effectively.
Gordon, reflecting on his personal missteps, sees greater than heartbreak in moments like these. He factors to the resilience of Hendrick Motorsports as proof that setbacks can form champions.
The title comes from Hendrick’s storage
Jeff Gordon, in his chat, additional highlighted Hendrick Motorsports‘ turnaround after a shaky playoff 12 begin, pointing to improved execution as a key championship indicator.
“I believe we noticed within the first spherical that we didn’t execute very effectively, and it seemed sloppy. And I simply beloved seeing what we did final week at New Hampshire. Quick race automobiles, stable execution all day on pit highway, and selections on and off the racetrack,” Gordon mentioned, crediting the workforce’s means to ship below strain.
This got here after early struggles, like at Atlanta and Watkins Glen, however robust showings at Bristol and New Hampshire rebuilt momentum, with all 4 drivers advancing previous the Spherical of 12 opener. Chase Elliott’s Kansas triumph added gasoline to that fireplace, as Gordon famous, “Clearly, this can be a enormous spark for the 9 workforce.” Elliott’s cost from mid-pack on recent tires exemplified the grit Gordon values, particularly in a season the place Hendrick claimed the regular-season crown.
Even amid setbacks, like William Byron‘s early Kansas hassle, Gordon noticed positives: “The 24, you recognize, they had been down manner down the checklist…And got here into it with a number of factors. And to see them combat by way of that. I really feel like they’ve form of been in championship type a number of occasions this season, profitable the regular-season factors. At present was uncharacteristic of them. However to see them combat again, that retains the momentum on their facet as effectively.”
In all, Gordon’s belief in HMS positions Hendrick for a deep run.
