“I made a mistake”: Denny Hamlin owns up to a crucial blunder that led to his Bowman Gray misery

Denny Hamlin admitted to making a critical "mess" with the adjustments in the exhibition race at the Bowman Gray Stadium that robbed him of a potential victory. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver led 28 laps on the quarter-mile oval but couldn't keep Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott at bay.

Elliott led 171 laps at the Bowman Gray, the highest in the history of The Clash. The 2020 Cup Series champion stood strong throughout the preseason battle, forfeiting the lead for a mere 29 laps before collecting the checkered flag. Hamlin, too, had a fast #11 Toyota Camry which began the race from third place, but a lapse on his end proved disastrous for JGR's outcome.

In the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin admitted to his blunder. He said he spotted Elliott's weak point in the first stage, but the #9 team's remarkable work overcame the vulnerability. The 54-time Cup Series race winner added that he made a costly "mistake" of messing with the adjustments.

"I was optimistic that once we got to the lead, I was like, 'Man, we got such an advantage here,' I mentioned that I made a mistake, I was doing something with my brakes under caution, I didn't get it back. I mean, still, I let the competition get too close by messing up some adjustments on my end," Hamlin said (48:08).

Hamlin rounded up a third-place finish, with Ryan Blaney taking the runner-up spot.

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Denny Hamlin delivers his message following his 23XI driver Bubba Wallace's race with new spotter

Denny Hamlin's 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace and his former spotter Bootie Barker worked since the late 2021 season. The duo contested 102 races, collecting the Talladega race win and 33 top-10s. Barker was set to be relieved from the role after the 2024 Phoenix race but NASCAR suspended Barker due to the Martinsville controversy.

Thus, Wallace has been paired with Charles Denike, the former Truck Series crew chief of Christian Eckes. On the first race of the 2025 season, Denike and the #23 Toyota driver showcased an impressive collaboration. Wallace surged to a P5 finish after a 14th-place start at The Clash. He outperformed his teammate and the defending regular-season champion Tyler Reddick.

During the aforementioned episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin heaped praise on Denike, expressing confidence in the "game-changer" asset.

"At 23XI, we're most excited about Charles Denike..." Hamlin said. "We believe we found a rock star in Charles, I'm glad we found him, Dave Rogers did a great job recruiting him from the Truck Series he was with the #19 Truck. And so, I think he's going to be a game-changer for 23XI and Bubba Wallace. I think that those two could really do something special this year." [27:52 onwards].

It's worth mentioning that Denike has an impressive resume of clinching seven wins and 33 top-10s with Eckes in 44 races, and thus, could prove to be a game-changer for Denny Hamlin's 23XI Racing driver, Wallace.