Mixed emotions. That’s what Denny Hamlin was feeling when the checkered flag was waved at Homestead-Miami Speedway. On one hand, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran was relieved to have finished fifth at the 2025 Straight Talk Wireless 400, after starting the race in 23rd place. However, the 44-year-old also felt it was a missed opportunity to break his winless streak after he led for 15 laps at the 1.5-mile track.
Despite lacking outright speed, the No. 11 Toyota did very well under challenging circumstances to make up track positions. Giving credit where it was due, Hamlin applauded his new crew chief Chris Gayle for out-maneuvering his rivals, particularly Ryan Blaney, whose struggles continued once again.
Denny Hamlin praises his crew chief’s shrewd strategy
Denny Hamlin knew he had his work cut out for him. Factoring in the limitations of his No. 11 Toyota, the veteran racer showed remarkable skills and tactical expertise to gain track positions. Despite not being in the top 10 after the end of 80 laps, the Florida native managed to overtake Alex Bowman on Lap 104 to secure second place in no time, showing that experience can pay off even in the most challenging situations. What followed was a dramatic Stage 2 ending, where he took advantage of the lap traffic which hindered Ryan Blaney, and went on to seize the stage win.
Speaking on the Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin reflected on his race strategy by saying, “There was a 6-7 lap window where a caution would be great for us and there’s like a 35 lap window where a caution would be really bad. So we played the riskier strategy… It was risky, and trust me, for about 25 laps of that run, I was thinking, I said it in my head, I didn’t press the button. ‘We weren’t going to beat the #12 anyway. Why are we risking second place in the stage to do this?’ But they got a bigger picture up there. They’re not in this cocoon of a racecar… They can see more data, and information than what I can. That’s why I always trust the crew chiefs and their decisions.” So what was the race-altering strategy?
Hamlin chose to pit while leading the race on Lap 125 and two laps later, Kyle Larson followed suit, as Josh Berry took the lead. However, Berry also pitted and Lap 128, which saw Blaney take the lead again. As it stood, it looked like Blaney was primed to take the stage win and continue his dominance, but the risky pit strategy paid off. By Lap 158, Hamlin was in third and Larson in fourth with just 7 laps to go for the stage finish. Meanwhile, Blaney, who decided to pit on Lap 119, saw a slew of lapped cars crowd him as he got stuck in traffic. This allowed Hamlin and Larson to zoom past as they finished 1-2 for Stage 2, with Blaney in third. Hamlin notched up his first stage win since Homestead 2024, and despite a third-place finish in stage 2, Ryan Blaney ended the race in frustrating fashion.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA South Point 400-Cup Practice & Qualifying Oct 19, 2024 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin 11 during qualifying for the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Las Vegas Las Vegas Motor Speedway Nevada USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20241019_gav_sv5_038
After qualifying in sixth place at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Team Penske driver was determined to hit the ground running when the race began at the 1.5-mile track. That’s exactly what he did, making a move on Alex Bowman after just six laps to battle for the top spot, and after a heated duel, he finally broke free to win the opening stage. The dominance continued well after Stage 2, as the 2023 Cup Series champ hardly put a foot wrong. However, Lap 207 changed everything. Ryan Blaney suffered an engine failure with just 60 laps to go, resulting in a third consecutive DNF for the first time in his career.
Hamlin has also seen his fair share of struggles this year, after finishing 20th or above in just three out of the opening six races of the 2025 campaign. However, for Blaney, it was yet another day where he was incredibly fast, passing cars, but just could not finish the race.
Blaney is frustrated as Team Penkse’s struggles continue
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Ryan Blaney. Going into the 2025 Cup Series campaign, the Team Penske driver was one of the overwhelming favorites to lift the Bill France Cup once again. While that prospect remains well and truly alive, the results in the last three races have left much to be desired. The No. 12 Ford driver hasn’t finished higher than 28th at Phoenix, Las Vegas, and now Homestead-Miami Speedway, despite showing dominance.
Even though he led 124 out of 267 laps, Lady Luck was not on Blaney’s side at the 2025 Straight Talk Wireless 400 as his car suffered an engine blowout, catching fire in the process. Speaking to FOX Sports pit reporter Jamie Little, he said, “I didn’t have any warning. It just laid over when I got back to wide open on the front. It just stinks.” Despite the mounting frustration, the Ohio native tried to remain positive, saying, “We’ll keep our head up. The good news is we’re bringing fast race cars and that’s all you can ask for. We’ll keep on moving.”
Ultimately, Ryan Blaney’s pain was Denny Hamlin’s gain, as the veteran managed to finish fifth at Homestead after a poor qualifying. Team Penske, who have dominated the Next-Gen era with three consecutive championships will be back in the shop to analyze the reason behind their multiple DNFs. While they won’t hit the panic button just yet, the signs are not looking good for Roger Penske’s team, who will aim to turn their fortunes around as soon as possible to get back to winning ways.
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