P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Denny Hamlin was on the losing end of a final lap battle with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell at Phoenix Raceway, and he has no one to blame but himself. And Hamlin is blaming himself. “…
Denny Hamlin lost a final lap battle with his teammate Christopher Bell at Phoenix Raceway and took full responsibility for the outcome. Hamlin expressed his frustration with himself for not executing the necessary moves to secure the win. Reflecting on the race during his podcast, Hamlin admitted there were alternative strategies he could have employed, such as not giving Bell the bottom lane. He acknowledged that he missed an opportunity to pressure Bell by remaining behind him and pushing him up the track in the closing corners. Despite running clean, hard racing with Bell, Hamlin found himself on the high side out of room on the final lap, leading to his second-place finish. Hamlin lamented a similar mistake he made in the past with Kevin Harvick, acknowledging the difficulty in making split-second decisions during intense racing moments.
