Denny Hamlin speculates over reason behind Ryan Blaney’s empty gas tank at Gateway

Denny Hamlin recently shared his views on why Ryan Blaney ran out of fuel during the closing laps of the Enjoy Illinois 300 at the World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday. The mishap relegated Blaney to a 24th-place finish, while his teammate, Austin Cindric, steered past en route to his first Cup Series win in over two years.

Blaney was a few yards away from grabbing the opportunity to defend his title and record his first win of the season. Despite being the first car in the field on fresh tires after the last green flag cycle kicked off, the #12 Ford Mustang slowed down just one lap short.

Recalling Blaney's case, in the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin speculated that the number 12 crew might have miscalculated the amount of fuel that they had put inside Blaney's car during the last pit stop.

"My thinking is that the miscalculation came from what was in the tank. They thought they had a certain amount in the tank when they pitted and they did not. They had less than that," Hamlin added.

Hamlin further explained how the process of refueling works in NASCAR and said,

"The crew chief... if he only puts one can in, he's assuming there's a certain amount in the tank already," said the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. "They have a can that's full of gas , they weigh it. They will then do the pit stop and after the pit stop re-weigh the can. That way they know exactly how much fuel they dumped into the car."

Denny Hamlin started last Sunday's race 6th and was among the top 10 cars all day. He finished second behind Austin Cindric, making it his seventh top-5 this season. He is also the current leader on points.

Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney will be seen in action next on June 10 in the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. The race can be watched live on FOX and heard on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.

"Never thought in my mind we were short,"- Ryan Blaney on his latest fiasco

Moments after the race, Ryan Blaney said that out of all the things that could have ruined his day, running out of gas was not on his mind. Blaney's Ford Mustang was the first among all the cars on the lead lap to commit to the pit road. He was the only driver with four fresh tires with 66 laps to go in the 240-lap feature.

Blaney battled it out with Christopher Bell, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, until the latter slowed down due to a technical issue. Blaney held the lead and was about to win when he ran both out of luck and fuel. Recalling the unfortunate moment, the 2023 Cup series champion said via motorsport.com,

"Never thought in my mind we were short (of fuel). One of those things. Gosh, proud of the No. 12 boys. One lap short, which just stinks."

Congratulating Austin Cindric on his first win in more than two years, Blaney said,

"Congrats to the No. 2 team. They did a good job all day. Props to them. Austin. Proud for Team Penske and Ford.”

Ryan Blaney has one top-10 finish in the last five point-paying races this season. His last top-5 performance was at the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. As of today, Ryan Blaney stands 12th in the NASCAR Cup series point standings with 405 points to his name.