“He was in a dangerous position”: Denny Hamlin upholds NASCAR’s decision making during 2024 Daytona 500’s final laps

NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin has opened up on the last-lap chaos that transpired during the Daytona 500 race on Monday, February 19.

Quiet for the most part, the NASCAR Cup Series season-opener turned into a chaotic affair towards the end. A huge pile-up, dubbed "The Big One," on the 192nd lap took out multiple heavyweights.

The late crash was followed by further intensified drama in the last lap. Attempting to take the lead, Ross Chastain initiated a maneuver that proved ill-fated, making contact with Austin Cindric amidst a flurry of jostling cars.

As the No. 1 and No. 2 cars careened into the infield grass, William Byron capitalized on the chaos to claim the lead and ultimately secure the victory. Yet, controversy loomed large as NASCAR swiftly deployed a caution, freezing the field and awarding Byron the win under yellow-flag conditions.

Speaking about the incident, Denny Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast:

"What you saw when this caution comes out, there’s controversy over when they’re throwing the yellow, and I think that that’s just natural controversy. Anytime that there’s a subjective call that NASCAR makes, of when they choose to end the race, they’re choosing when to end it, because they’ve already taken the white flag. You can throw any conspiracy out there, but it doesn’t matter when they throw it, one of the Hendrick cars wins." (50:38)

Emphasizing the safety concern, Denny Hamlin highlighted the precarious position of Team Penske's No. 2 Ford following the collision. He said:

"I think that they made the right call, simply because the No. 2 car was, when he crashed, he was starting to make his way back up the racing track. Right at the start-finish-line, nose first. He was in a dangerous position.

Denny Hamlin compares the Daytona 500 finish to Xfinity Series Daytona race

Denny Hamlin compared the finish at the Daytona 500 to the Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 race held the same night.

While the Xfinity race opted for a more laissez-faire approach, allowing the race to continue despite a late crash, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver highlighted the risks posed by a prolonged caution period amid a congested field. The 43-year-old said:

"Now, the Xfinity Race, they crashed and they just kind of let them go. Could they have let it go further? Yes, but if they do that, there’s so many cars that are behind that pack that are yet to get past the No. 2 car, that’s crossing the race-track, broad-sided."

He added:

"They want to have everyone slow down as soon as possible to mitigate the risk that the No. 2 is very vulnerable in, in that moment."

After being caught up in the 192nd-lap crash, Denny Hamlin ended the race in 19th position.