Denny Hamlin stunned by ‘High IQ’ NASCAR champion’s shocking decision in Texas

Denny Hamlin has expressed his surprise at NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney's decision to decline a front-row restart at Texas Motor Speedway. The Team Penske driver found himself on the back foot after opting for a second-row restart during the closing stages, a choice that cost him track position and a potential lead.

On Sunday's Wurth 400, Blaney was poised to take the lead when he was second during a late-race restart on lap 244. Since the outside lane was not quite rubbered in, he abandoned it on the front row for its lack of grip and instead chose the second row inside lane, where he slotted behind Kyle Larson's draft.

Upon restart, however, Michael McDowell wheeled his No.71 Chevy on the outside of Larson to take the lead, while Blaney made no effort to bump draft the Hendrick Motorsports driver. Consequently, Blaney dropped to fourth before making up a spot to round out the podium places.

On Monday, May 5, Dirty Mo Media's X handle shared a clip from Denny Hamlin's podcast, Actions Detrimental, where the Joe Gibbs driver shared his disbelief in Blaney's decision.

"I was really, really surprised in the moment Blaney did not take the front row. I couldn't believe that call....Inside, 15, 20 laps to go, you don't take the front row at a mile and a half? And not only did Blaney not take the front row, he didn't do a good job of pushing Larson on that restart. So then Larson lost the lead, and now Blaney lost position," he said.

"You heard Blaney being really critical of himself post-race, and it was warranted. He was very aware, and that tells you that you've got a driver there that's very high IQ," he added.

Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, fell victim to his own shortcomings at Texas Motor Speedway, as he was sent to the back of the field when he was caught speeding in a closed pit lane. To make matters worse, his race ended in a DNF from his No.11 Toyota Camry caught fire.

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"I just got mixed up there": Denny Hamlin details his pitstop mishap at Texas

After his DNF at Texas Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin spoke to NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass about his unfortunate pitstop call early in the race. The 44-year-old misheard a radio code and stayed out while the rest of the field pitted for fresh rubber.

"Miscommunication between me and the team. They gave me a code, it was too close to another code, and I just got mixed up there," Hamlin said.

The results mark Denny Hamlin's only DNF so far in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Notably, it also stands as his second consecutive finish outside the top-20, after a stretch of top-five results from Miami to Bristol.