“Need to get better there”: Denny Hamlin self critical after Tyler Reddick’s sensational Homestead win

Denny Hamlin is known for his skills in playing the offensive, but how good is he at defending? Recalling last Sunday's playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the veteran driver revealed exactly where he needs to get better.

Denny Hamlin drives the No. 11 Toyota Camry full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 43-year-old speedster owns 54 series wins, the second highest (after Kyle Busch) among active drivers. His array of accolades include victories in crown jewel events like the Coca-Cola 600, the Southern 500, and the Daytona 500.

With three laps to go till the checkered flag at Homestead, Hamlin was looking at a possible win. However, he lost the bottom lane to Ryan Blaney and ultimately finished P3. Tyler Reddick, who drives the #45 for 23XI Racing, a team that Hamlin owns, won the race and made Championship 4 for the first time in his career.

In a recent episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin reflected on his performance following the last restart at the 1.5-mile, intermediate speedway. The Tampa, Florida native said,

"I just didn't run the bottom as good as what the 12 (Ryan Blaney) could. He just was better than me running the bottom. When he got to the bottom, and he hit the gas, the thing kept going. I just couldn't hold it down there and if I did I was going to have to slow up too much and then I risk letting him get beside me in the middle of the corner."

"And so, I don't know there's surely something that I could have done different. Being a good defender... I'm not super high on that list. So, need to get better there," Denny Hamlin observed.

Unlike his teammate, Christopher Bell, who is a top seed going to Martinsville next week, Denny Hamlin sits inside the bubble. He is now 18 points behind the provisional cutline.

Denny Hamlin goes candid about his team's short-run struggles

Denny Hamlin started the race fourth and led 21 laps en route to his 11th top-5 this year. He finished Stage 1 in seventh and won Stage 2, gathering 48 points in all. However, he couldn't pack enough speed in his car during the short runs, where he needed it the most.

"I tried to cover all lanes but just couldn’t quite get off the corner as good as I needed to on that short run," Denny Hamlin said in a post-race interview (via Auto Gear). "Short runs weren’t my specialty all day. I controlled the race with two laps left, but I just couldn’t finish it."

Denny Hamlin then lauded his team and crew chief for how fast his car was. But he felt that the build of the car was not enough to take on Blaney and Reddick in the short run.

"I want to be faster on the short run, but it’s part of what we build into the car. Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) gave me everything I needed to try to race them, but we didn’t get it done. We’re not out until the checkered flag at Martinsville," Hamlin added.

The final four will be decided with the checkered flag at Martinsville this coming Sunday. Fans can watch the decisive race on NBC or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 2 PM ET onwards.