Denny Hamlin takes a page from Carl Edwards’ playbook revealing what he could’ve done to crush his teammate’s Phoenix hopes

Denny Hamlin has revealed what he would've done at the Phoenix Raceway after losing to his teammate Christopher Bell by a bristle-thin margin of 0.049 seconds. The former fiercely fought for the lead against Bell's #20 Toyota but in the final moments, the latter moved Hamlin's #11 Toyota up the track and gunned to take the checkered flag.

After a slow start to the 2025 Cup Series season, Hamlin was primed for the season's maiden win at the 1-mile oval. After salvaging the 10th fastest speed in the qualifying, the 54-time Cup Series race winner aimed for his first triumph since Dover in April 2024.

Denny Hamlin nearly pulled it off. However, a misjudgment forced him to move up the track, leaving the line for Bell to pounce on. Following the runner-up finish, the JGR driver expressed that he would've played differently, staying behind Bell and shoving him up, as he figured winning wasn't on the cards from the outside line.

Hamlin took notes from when Carl Edwards pressured Kyle Busch into shooting up the track at the 2016 Richmond race to etch the win. He said (via Dirty Mo Media).

"There was an opportunity on the white flag lap when he (Bell) slid me in the middle of (turns) 1 and 2. He cleared me for a brief moment. I could have just said, 'Okay, I don't want the outside, I'm just gonna be on your bumper here, entering turn 3, like I did to Logano when I got tired of him mirror-driving me.' If I had to do it all over again, I knew how he (Bell) was going to react," Denny Hamlin said.

"Almost like Carl (Edwards) did at Richmond with Kyle Busch. Had I do it all over again, and I could see everything, see the grand picture, know that I had plenty of space behind me with the #5 (Kyle Larson)...I would've got behind him (Bell) and shoved him up," he added.

Even though Hamlin couldn't cherish the victory burnouts, he would've surely savored his season-best finish thus far.

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Denny Hamlin's 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season in a nutshell

Denny Hamlin displayed signs of a dominant season after posting consecutive top-5s in the preseason Busch Light Clash and the following Daytona Duel 2. However, once the season began, the results took a nosedive.

He couldn't replicate the supremacy when the season began with the Daytona 500. The JGR veteran suffered from an early bump by Zane Smith but regained control of his Camry. Moreover, Hamlin battled for his fourth Daytona 500 win on the final lap but a multi-car wreck triggered by Chase Briscoe and Cole Custer's collision shattered his prospects.

His next destination was Atlanta Motor Speedway where the #11 driver secured a sixth-place finish. However, like the Daytona International Speedway, the Circuit of The Americas wasn't kind to Hamlin. After suffering from the opening lap crash and a shortcutting penalty, the JGR ace's Toyota ran over sand on Lap 78, violently turning into Austin Dillon's #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, and finishing 21st.

But after redeeming himself at Phoenix, Denny Hamlin has jumped 10 spots and will battle in Las Vegas ranked 7th in the Cup Series standings.