“It started a chain reaction”: Denny Hamlin explains the real cause behind Atlanta’s chaotic pileup

Denny Hamlin got ousted from Saturday night’s Cup Series race at Echopark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway. It happened due to a massive wreck marking the beginning of Stage 2. Besides Hamlin, several others, including Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Daniel Suárez, and William Byron, were involved in the multi-car pileup.

Notably, Denny Hamlin had to watch the race from the infield care center. When asked about the incident that put him out of contention, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said (0:19),

“I don’t know. I was on the bumper of the 42 (John Hunter Nemechek); it looked like whoever he was on the bumper of, and whoever he was on the bumper of...just we weren't all perfectly aligned, and obviously started a chain reaction there.”

The good news for Denny Hamlin is that this setback didn't affect him too much in terms of standings, as he still sits inside the top-five. However, the bad news is that, despite entering the race as the top seed, Hamlin will not advance in NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament.

Saturday’s event marked Hamlin’s first-ever race with King’s Hawaiian as his primary sponsor. As per reports, the family-owned business will back the No. 11 JGR team in four races this season.

King’s Hawaiian will return as Denny Hamlin’s sponsor during his upcoming races at Daytona International Speedway on August 23, Bristol Motor Speedway on September 13, and Martinsville Speedway on October 26. For now, all eyes are on Chicago, as the city prepares to host the Grant Park 165 scheduled for Sunday, July 6.

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Denny Hamlin posts in-car selfie during Quaker State 400 at Atlanta

It’s always a dismal feeling to get ousted early from contention. However, Denny Hamlin took things quite sportingly. He even joked about his situation during Saturday’s race at Echopark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway.

While the race was underway, the Tampa, Florida native took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted a photo of himself strapped to his No. 11 machine, while it was being worked on in the garage. Captioning his post, the driver wrote,

“Fun meter peaked.”

2025 is shaping up to be quite a stellar season for Hamlin. In 17 races, the driver amassed three wins, eight top-fives, and nine top-10s. As things stand, he is getting closer to his 60-win mark, which will place him at par with former driver and 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick.

Denny Hamlin will now compete for his 58th win this coming Sunday at the Chicago Street Circuit. Fans can watch the race live on TNT Sports, 2 pm ET onwards, or listen to exclusive radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman is the defending winner of the event.