Denny Hamlin issues 'healthy advice' after final lap chaos at Daytona 500: “You’re not gonna win by door-slamming”

Denny Hamlin had "healthy advice" to share for fellow NASCAR driver Cole Custer after the Haas Factory Team (HFT) driver tussled with him during the 2025 Daytona 500. Through his advice, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver told Custer and his #41 team that one cannot win races by "door-slamming".

Hamlin had an eventful day at the recently concluded Daytona 500. From having no chance of winning the race to getting really close and then suffering a wreck, the #11 driver witnessed it all. Amid all these, the one thing that Hamlin found an issue with was Custer's move on him during the penultimate lap.

Reflecting upon it, Hamlin shared his thoughts on the recently released episode of the 'Action Detrimental' podcast. He said:

"I tried to be calculated in the post race," Denny Hamlin said. "Let me try to give the benefit of the doubt to Cole (Custer) here and the #41 team. Like let me give you some healthy advice. Like from someone that has done this for 20 years. You're not gonna win it by door slamming on the backstretch. You always have to live to see the final corner."

Custer, Hamlin, and Austin Cindric were all side by side as they raced to the checkered flag. However, none of the drivers were ready to leave an inch for the other, and as a result, made contact.

Custer, in the #41 entry, was racing behind Hamlin. However, in the final lap, Custer jumped to his right and tried to block the JGR driver. In his attempt to do it, the HFT driver made contact with the #11 driver and it went haywire for the latter.

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Denny Hamlin believes "luck" has big part to play in modern-day NASCAR

Following the conclusion of the Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Denny Hamlin shared a controversial take. On the 'Action Detrimental' podcast, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said that "luck" plays a huge part in the NASCAR races of the modern era.

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 National Debt Relief Toyota, Cole Custer, driver of the #41 HaasTooling.com Ford and Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet spin after an on-track incident - Source: Getty

"I spend so much money at 23XI making sure that my teams and my drivers have the best cars available to go out there and compete for a win. But it's just such a f**king crapshoot now," Hamlin said. "I hate that what is supposed to be our most prestigious race, the showcase of heroes, is luck. It is luck and I don't care how else you want to say it."

"It is luck. And it's luck because you just have to avoid the wrecks. And then if you can get lucky enough to where you avoid the wreck and then the track stays green and you get to race back like I don't know anymore and I just I've become I've grown really really agitated with how we've gotten here," he added.

William Byron, who was running behind Custer, Hamlin, and Cindric on Sunday, went on to win the race after the three aforementioned drivers wrecked each other. Tyler Reddick and Jimmie Johnson, who finished second and third, respectively, also made brilliant use of the collision.