Denny Hamlin’s day was dominant, but contact with Chase Elliott late in the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway knocked him out of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Starting the afternoon in second, Hamlin first took the lead on Lap 26 when passed Elliott exiting Turn 4, after he got loose, only to lose it a lap later when Elliott put the chrome bumper to him in Turn 1. On Lap 28, Hamlin powered around his outside in Turn 2 to take the lead.
He was challenged late in the stage by Kyle Larson, who took it from him on Lap 68 and Hamlin settled for second in the first stage.
After beating Larson off pit road, Hamlin commanded the lead for the next 151 laps. During which, he took the green and checkered flag to win the second stage.
When Trevor Bayne brought out the third caution, Hamlin lost the lead on pit road when his car stalled briefly and exited behind teammate Matt Kenseth.
With 42 laps to go, Elliott again put the bumper to Hamlin through Turn 4. But past the exit, they made contact again and Hamlin brushed the wall. Over the next few laps, smoke started billowing from the right-front tire, the tell-tale sign of a tire rub. With 38 to go, the tire gave way as he entered Turn 3, he veered up the track and slammed the outside wall, ending his day and Playoff run.
“Well we had a fast car all day. We did essentially our job all day long. We put ourselves in good position. Things just didn’t work out there, in the end.”
All of this comes in the wake of the much-publicized incident two weeks ago at Martinsville Speedway, in which Hamlin dumped Elliott in Turn 3 with three laps to go to try, but failed, to win the race himself.
Hamlin was asked if he thought that his apology following the incident would prevent something along the lines of what took him out.
“Each person has their own opinion of how they do things, and it just proves to the people that thought I was the bad guy that he would do the exact same thing under the same circumstances. It’s part of racing. I got into him, and he chose to retaliate and, so, I’m in the garage and that’s the way it is.
“We did a great job all day. This is the best car I’ve had in a very long time. We just got behind on a pit stop, and that just gave those guys an opportunity to get close.”
Hamlin ended the day in 37th and sixth in points, trailing Elliott by 17 for fifth.
