Denny Hamlin’s crew explains the final caution brilliance that took 'the entire offseason' to learn

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin's pit crew has mastered a technique to save every tenth of a second on the pit road. Recently, NASCAR analyst Steven Taranto shared an X post featuring the FS1 broadcast covering the behind-the-back move used by Hamlin's jackman, Joel-Alexandre Bouagnon.

Hamlin had a tough time at Darlington Raceway in comparison to his performance at Martinsville Speedway. He only led ten laps at the 1.366-mile raceway; however, a well-timed caution and a fast pit stop helped the JGR driver secure his second win of the 2025 season.

The oldest driver on the grid, Denny Hamlin, has had his pit crew find a new way to save time during the pits. Hamlin's jackman, Joel-Alexandre Bouagnon, slings around the jack from behind and crosses his hands over to save time. Further, Bouagnon revealed it was not an easy step to learn and stated:

"It's a long process. It's like, it took about every bit of the off-season. You know, just every rep you gain a little bit more confidence enough to take out to the track, because, you know, there's a lot of risk out here. But yeah, I'd say about the entire offseason." [00:23 onwards]

The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver moved up six spots and ranks second with 266 points on the Cup Series driver's points table. He secured two wins, four top-five finishes, and five top-ten finishes in eight starts so far this season.

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Joe Gibbs Racing ace Denny Hamlin expressed his gratitude to his #11 team after his Darlington win

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin surprised his fans with an unexpected victory at the 1.366-mile track. His pit crew team helped him make a comeback and secure his 56th Cup Series win.

During a post-race interview shared by Speedway Digest, Hamlin showcased his gratitude to his pit crew and called the race a "great team victory." Despite not having the fastest car on the grid, the Tampa, Florida, native won the race with the help of his pit crew.

“Our pit crew won it,” Hamlin said post-race.

“It comes down to these crunch time situations. I had to do my job on pit road executing, but I have to thank Sport Clips, TRD, Progressive... My kids, my family, my fiancé. I mean, what a great day!” he added.

Denny Hamlin secured his fourth Darlington Raceway win and second consecutive win in the 2025 season, moving him to the 11th spot on the all-time wins list. Hamlin was worried about not being sure if he could have won the race and stated:

“I thought third place (was) kind of what we had.”

Despite a dominating performance, leading 243 laps in the 293-lap race and securing the pole position, the Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron fell one spot short of the win. He ended the race as the runner-up, and Christopher Bell finished in third place.