NASCAR fans have given their opinions on Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin's fifth win at the Richmond Raceway after the 43-year-old dethroned Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson to seal the pinnacle spot.
The Toyota Owners 400 got done and dusted, marking the 134th Cup Series race on the 0.75-mile track. Despite losing Stage 1 to defending winner Larson and Stage 2 to Truex Jr., Hamlin paved the way for his second NASCAR win of the season. The maiden win on the JGR driver's 2024 schedule came at the Food City 500 race at the Bristol Motor Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Larson became the polesitter for the race, but failed to convert the same into a victory and couldn't defend his 2023 win at the track. For Chase Elliott, the outing ended on the highest note as he bagged his best finish of the season, in the P5 spot.
The 400-lap run was going Truex Jr.'s way until contact with the #5 Chevy by Bubba Wallace prompted the race to go into overtime. The pack capitalized on the opportunity with a fresh set of tires and Hamlin became the major benefactor as he entered the pit lane in P3, but came out as the leader.
Post the Florida native's adrenaline-packed outing at Richmond, fans reacted to his second win this season. One fan jokingly thanked the 23XI Racing driver for his contact with Larson which led to Denny Hamlin winning the race, commenting:
"Thanks to 23!"
Another fan highlighted the 2024 Toyota Owners 400 winner's habitual remark about beating fans' favorite driver, writing:
"He beats your favorite driver again 🤭"
Some fans alleged Denny Hamlin of a jump start and bashed NASCAR for not probing into the matter:
Here are a few more reactions from the NASCAR fanbase to the race result:
Martin Truex Jr. slams "dumba** move" that turned the race into Denny Hamlin's favor
With a Stage 2 win in his bag, Truex Jr. led a race-high 228 laps out of 400. However, with just two rounds of the high-octane action left on the 0.75-mile track before the checkered flag dropped, a wreck spinning out Kyle Larson changed the face of the race.
As Larson was seemingly struggling with his tires, Wallace charged at high speed and wrecked the #5 Chevy while overtaking from the outside. The contact plummeted the HMS driver's position but he rallied back after a smooth pitstop and came home with a podium in P3.
Nevertheless, it was apparently MTJ who was at the biggest loss as he led the race but had to make his way into the pits during the overtime. The turnaround of events happened within the pitlane. Truex Jr. entered as the leader and left as the runner-up whereas Denny Hamlin came in third and exited as the leader.
After seemingly getting robbed of a potential maiden victory, the #19 Toyota driver vented his frustration, saying (via Frontstretch on X):
"Lead the whole race and some dumba** move brings out a caution. Coming to the white flag, and Hendrick [Larson] ruined the whole night. It's unfortunate."