“The experience is painful” - Denny Hamlin talks about recovering his race from a lap down to finish P4

Denny Hamlin finds receiving the pit road penalties "painful" after the 42-year-old got his fourth such penalty of the season in Talladega.

Talladega Superspeedway witnessed an eventful weekend of racing, which culminated with Ryan Blaney sealing the Round of 8 spot after winning the YellaWood 500 race. However, continuing the all-season-long trend, it was Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing who was once again at the center of the action.

Fighting back from a pit-road speeding penalty, Hamlin clinched an impressive third-place finish, a position further fortified after runner-up Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing was disqualified.

The strong finish now places the Joe Gibbs Racing driver in third position in the Cup Series standings, propelling him to the driver's seat for sealing a spot in the next round.

Yet, Denny Hamlin's race was not without its troubles. Lap 105 of stage 2 brought a pit-road speeding infraction, marking the fourth such penalty this season for the 43-year-old. The consequence was a lap down, a setback that Hamlin felt was "painful."

However, Hamlin showed tenacity, reclaiming his position on the lead lap and ultimately securing a commendable fourth-place finish.

Reflecting on the troubles he faced this season, Hamlin shared his sentiments with Frontstretch, saying:

"It happened at Daytona. We had a pit road penalty at Daytona, went a lap down, and I watched the rest of the race for the last 100 laps."

He continued:

"The experience is painful, it's brutal. You're just saying every lap, 'please, please, a caution.' Fortunately there was one, and we weren't in the wreck. That was good fortune for us."

Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace tried to help each other during the Talladega race

Another driver in the Talladega spotlight vying for a Round of 8 berth was none other than Bubba Wallace, piloting for 23XI Racing—a team co-owned by Denny Hamlin himself.

When asked about his efforts to support Wallace during the race, Hamlin revealed that the 23XI Racing boss attempted to help out his employee while racing Austin Cindric in the No. 2 car. He revealed:

"We tried our best to help each other when we thought. Certainly when I was battling up front for the lucky dog, I was doing everything I could to push Bubba."

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver continued:

"I knew that all I'm doing is racing the #2 car and he's racing to be up front. So I was trying to keep him up front and keep myself up front."

The third-place finish in Talladega now sees Denny Hamlin in prime position to secure a Round of 8 birth in the next race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.