Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently expressed confusion over Denny Hamlin’s unusually cautious approach during the latest NASCAR race in Atlanta.
Hamlin, known for hanging back before making a late surge, abandoned his typical strategy, which ultimately led to a wreck on the final lap.
On his podcast, Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. dissected Hamlin’s performance, saying, “This will all be a nothing burger if he advances. But that was not like Denny. It was just out of character. I don’t know how else to say it.”
For many fans familiar with Hamlin’s racing style, the shift was unexpected. He usually bides his time at the back of the pack during superspeedway races, waiting for the right moment to strike.
However, at Atlanta, Hamlin pushed up to around 20th place before dropping back again, seemingly predicting a race-altering crash.
Earnhardt Jr. highlighted how Atlanta’s narrower track makes it difficult to pull off Hamlin’s typical strategy, which is more suited for wider tracks like Daytona or Talladega. “At Atlanta, it’s harder for that strategy to work because of the track width,” Earnhardt explained.
Hamlin’s plan banked on a major wreck that never materialized. Although Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe collided at the end of Stage 1, it wasn’t enough to shake up the race the way Hamlin anticipated.
“He never went on the attack,” Earnhardt Jr. observed. “It seemed like he was waiting for a big crash to make that move, hoping it would clear the field and make those 20 points more attainable.”
Hamlin’s passive strategy backfired, and with no significant crashes to shake up the leaders, he found himself caught in a wreck during overtime in turn four.
Reflecting on the outcome, Earnhardt Jr. said, “They didn’t get the attrition or the crashes Denny was expecting, and when one finally happened, he was caught in it. With 40 laps to go, you had to wonder how he planned to drive through the pack.”
Earnhardt Jr. speculated that if Hamlin still advances in the championship, this performance may not matter, but if he doesn’t, it could become a bigger story.
