Hamlin had a car capable of fighting for the win before a tire failure and pit-road penalty ruined his afternoon. He finished 28th, trails the championship lead by 31 points and is off to Talladega. What could possibly go wrong?
Denny Hamlin's hopes of contending for victory at Phoenix Raceway unraveled after a right-rear tire failure in the final stage led to a pit-road speeding penalty. Running in the top five, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver limped to pit road but was flagged for speeding, disqualifying him from receiving a free pass under a Lap 223 caution. The setback forced Hamlin to restart a lap down in 31st place before he ultimately finished 28th.
Despite the poor result, Hamlin reduced his championship deficit to 31 points behind leader Kyle Larson, who also suffered a late tire failure and crashed out in 34th. With three races remaining in the season, Hamlin now heads to Talladega Superspeedway needing to make up ground while emphasizing the importance of finishing races.
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