Denny Hamlin reacts to nail biting finish at NASCAR Xfinity race at IMS

Denny Hamlin was impressed by the wild finish at this year's Pennzoil 250. Only three drivers stayed upfront as NASCAR waved the white flag on Saturday's Xfinity Series race. The last-lap battle between Riley Herbst, Aric Almirola, and reigning Xfinity Series champion, Cole Custer, was probably the biggest highlight of the race.

Shortly after Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Herbst and Custer rubbed doors at the beginning of the final lap, Aric Almirola pulled up to the outside of Custer's #00 Ford Mustang. They went three-wide for just a while before Almirola took the lead.

However, Herbst's car was faster, and thus, just around turn 3, the Las Vegas native went to the inside of the former Cup Series driver and snatched the lead away. Riley Herbst finished 0.167 seconds ahead of Custer, and Almirola fell back to P3. Reflecting on the same, Denny Hamlin took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote,

"Impressive"

It wasn't just Denny Hamlin who was impressed by the exhilarating finish. Former NASCAR racer Kenny Wallace, too, said:

"THE BEST RACE / Finish EVER at @IMS 💯. Great job by @NASCAR on the new motor package 🏁"

Cole Custer started the 100-lap race from the pole, leading a race-high 47 laps. On the other hand, Herbst led 30 laps en route to a back-to-back win for Stewart-Haas Racing. Last week, Custer emerged victorious at Pocono Raceway.

Riley Herbst's victory was special as the NASCAR Xfinity Series returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5-mile oval for the first time since 2018. Furthermore, Herbst's win locked him in the 2024 playoff rumble.

Denny Hamlin went candid on majoring at IMS

Denny Hamlin feels that the Brickyard 400 is an extremely important race for every NASCAR Cup Series driver. Winning at the iconic track and celebrating by kissing the "Yard of Bricks" is a dream come true for both NASCAR and IndyCar drivers.

Denny Hamlin has victories at the Daytona 500, the Southern 500, and the Coca-Cola 600. However, he has never performed better than a third-place finish at the Brickyard 400. According to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, that is a "gaping hole" in his resume, which he wishes to fill by winning on Sunday.

"It means a lot," Hamlin said as reported by Speed Sport. "Certainly, from my standpoint, there's only so many more opportunities I'll have here at the oval. So, it's a big emphasis because it's a gaping hole on the resume and would complete all the majors."

The last time Denny Hamlin ran the prestigious race at IMS (2020) resulted in a disaster. He was well poised to win the race when his right tire blew up and his Toyota rammed into the outside wall on turn 1.

Therefore, reflecting on how important it was for the No. 11 team and especially Chris Gabehart (crew chief) to win at Indy, Hamlin said:

"Chris wants it pretty bad, too. He's a little hurt over 2020 and how that ended. I think, without a doubt, going into this weekend, he had spent a little extra time on this car making sure all the details were looked after and he brought me the fastest car he could."

The 400-miler starts on July 21 at 2:30 pm ET. NBC Sports and Peacock will provide live coverage of the race. Fans can also listen to radio updates only on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.