Denny Hamlin entered the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Problem because the No. 1 total seed. His Spherical 1 matchup in Saturday’s Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) was Ty Dillon.
On paper, this a certain win for Hamlin. The story of the tape confirmed a 57-time Cup Sequence winner (Hamlin) versus a driver sitting thirty third within the factors standings (Dillon). However skilled sports activities aren’t selected a chunk of paper; on this case, it’s determined by 400 miles on the racetrack.
Saturday’s race is within the books and it’s Dillon advancing to Spherical 2 after a season-best eighth-place end at Atlanta. After the race, Dillon had a message for Hamlin and his fanbase.
“For all you Denny followers on the market, I simply knocked your favourite driver out,” Dillon mentioned on the TNT broadcast.
Ty Dillon advances previous Denny Hamlin after chaotic night time at Atlanta
It’s fairly the dig at Hamlin, who has develop into identified for saying, “I simply beat your favourite driver” after a few of his wins over time. On this night time, Dillon had the higher hand. It was really the bracket buster of all bracket busters, although most of these brackets weren’t in good condition simply 70 laps into the race.
Those that not solely picked Hamlin to maneuver previous Dillon, however win the whole event, have been devastated after Hamlin crashed out within the 23-car wreck on Lap 69. Hamlin underwent repairs within the storage earlier than returning to the observe 109 laps down. It wasn’t lengthy after that Hamlin known as it an evening. He formally completed thirty first.
“All of us have been within the prime line pushing off Flip 2, and a few zigged, some zagged, most crashed. I don’t know,” Hamlin mentioned of the wreck. “I used to be on the bumper of [John Hunter Nemechek], and he was on the bumper of anyone else. All of us have been simply pushing and speedway zigging and zagging, and all of us crashed, so a part of it. Now we go watch the remainder of the race.”
Dillon has one other large problem forward awaiting him in Spherical 2 — the Chicago Road Race. Brad Keselowski, who completed second to Chase Elliott at Atlanta, is matched up with Dillon. The winner advances to the Spherical 3 race at Sonoma Raceway.
