"We had the winning strategy" - Denny Hamlin feels he 'played it great' for P4 finish at NASCAR Richmond race

Denny Hamlin was the first driver to win a race at Richmond Raceway with the Next Gen car on April 3, 2022. Over the weekend, Denny Hamlin and NASCAR returned to the track for the second time this season. His main assignment this time was to defend his win, but things went south and he lost the win to Kevin Harvick.

Despite failing to defend his win, Hamlin placed his #11 Toyota into a top-ten finish, taking fourth place. This marked his second consecutive top-five finish after taking a P13 at Michigan Raceway the previous weekend.

Though he never crossed the victory line, Denny Hamlin believes he has a winning strategy that played well for the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing. According to Hamlin, his last pit stop dragged him three-and-a-half seconds behind.

In a post-race interview, Hamlin was asked how he felt about his strategy at Richmond. He said:

“We had the winning strategy. I think we played it great. The fall-off was nearly as great those last couple runs, really for the last 100 when the track was shaded over.”

He added:

“I thought that going long was actually the right play and the team did a great job with that call for sure and just had a slow stop on that last one. We ended up three-and-a-half second behind”

The 23XI Racing co-owner also addressed the last pit stop he had made with 49 laps to go. Reflecting on it, Hamlin said the timing was perfect and it was a winning call, but it didn't pan out as they had expected.

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Denny Hamlin's performance in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway

Having started the day in P3, Hamlin was among the fastest drivers to sit in the top five for the better part of the day and lead 22 laps. Though he never won a stage, Hamlin finished inside the top five in all the stages and was among the top contenders to carry the day.

With less than 50 laps remaining on the finish line, Hamlin tried hard to edge out Chris Buescher, but his efforts were in vain.

At the moment, Hamlin is one of the few drivers who have managed to score more than a single win this season. With two wins, his spot in the playoffs is firm, and all he's currently working on is more playoff points.

After NASCAR completes the upcoming two events in the regular season, Hamlin will be hunting for his first championship in the 18 years he has been on track.