“It was mostly me sitting back” - Denny Hamlin justifies his defensive superspeedway racing amid setback at Atlanta

Starting from the rear of the field at P38, Denny Hamlin managed a modest finish of P24 at the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart Race. Post-race, when asked about his strategy, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said he hung back to avoid incidents and capitalize on potential points from others' misfortunes.

Hamlin, who has not had a particularly successful time on superspeedways with average finishes of 17.6 at Daytona and 16.8 at Talladega, approached Atlanta, which increasingly resembles a superspeedway, with caution. However, the #11 driver got caught in the last-lap wreck.

In a post-race interview, he shared he aimed to steer clear of the major wrecks typical of such tracks.

Hamlin said,

"It was mostly me sitting back trying to avoid a 25th or worse place finish. That's...typically on these superspeedways where I've been, in Next Gen, I've gotten caught up in everyone else’s wreck possible. I tried not to do that today and obviously I got caught in the last one" [0:13].

Atlanta Motor Speedway had an overhaul between the 2021 and 2022 NASCAR seasons, undergoing changes that transformed its racing dynamics.

The track's banking was elevated and the width of the racing surface was also narrowed by 15 feet going from 55 to 40. Such adjustments have shifted Atlanta into a category with Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, making it the third drafting-style track on the circuit. They have also forced the drivers to apply superspeedway strategies while racing in Atlanta.

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Denny Hamlin says he played it safe for points at Atlanta

During a candid post-race interview, Denny Hamlin opened up about the challenges he faced with a loose car and his overarching strategy for the race. He said his historical performance on superspeedways has been less than stellar, which influenced his conservative approach to merely gathering points during the event.

Speaking with NASCAR reporter Alex Weaver, Hamlin said,

"My goal was to try to get 20 points in the day. The way to do that is to finish kind of in the mid-teens. My record on superspeedways has been atrocious. [...] I was able to finish, but certainly not with the points that I was hoping for" [via NASCAR].

In overtime at Atlanta, Hamlin found himself outside the top 20, with drivers like B.J. McLeod and J.J. Yeley behind him, ready to navigate through the pack. Despite his experience, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver maintained a cautious approach throughout the race. However, the strategy did not spare him from the chaos of the final lap, resulting in a 24th-place finish and a tally of 13 points—falling short of his target by seven points.

Speaking about the next race at Watkins Glen, a track that has also proven tough for Hamlin, he commented on his expectations,

"Oh fine, we'll run, you know, pretty decent there and obviously... plan on running good at Bristol" [via NASCAR].

His track record at Watkins Glen shows a slightly better performance, with an average finish of 15.0 across 17 starts, including one win, six top-5s, and nine top-10s.