- Hamlin reviews his role in massive 23-car crash at Atlanta
- Says spotter information may have led to misjudged push
- Top seed knocked out of In-Season Tournament Challenge
A 23-car pileup during Stage 2 of Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta dramatically altered the field, and Denny Hamlin isn’t shying away from his possible role in the chaos.
Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver offered a surprisingly candid take after reviewing the wreck that left numerous contenders with terminal damage.
“Listen, I watched the replay a few times. Maybe it was my fault?” Hamlin said.
“Because I want to be fair and honest on this podcast, and I’m looking at it, and I thought at the very beginning I was like, ‘What the hell, somebody in front of me zigged and zagged,’ and I said this on my interview, ‘These guys were tail wagging and I was just pushing as I normally do.’”
At superspeedways like the newly configured Atlanta, drafting is crucial, but unforgiving. Misaligned bump drafts or miscommunication can trigger chaos. According to Hamlin, his spotter had indicated that the cars ahead were stable, prompting him to maintain pressure in the draft.
“Spotter tells me they’re locked on in front, that tells me I’m able to continue to push, everything is kind of good to go, and yeah. I was the end of the snake tail that lost control. But it looked like I knocked the 42 kind of out of control. Maybe it’s on me,” he said.
The crash eliminated multiple cars and led to extended repair attempts in the garage for those able to limp back. While assigning blame in the draft is often murky, Hamlin’s admission adds notable context to one of the year’s biggest incidents.
The wreck also had immediate consequences for the new In-Season Tournament Challenge. Despite entering as the top seed, Hamlin’s night—and bracket—ended abruptly. Ty Dillon, finishing P8, advanced and eliminated Hamlin from the head-to-head competition.
Hamlin wasn’t the only major name knocked out. William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, and Joey Logano also exited in the first round, leaving Chase Elliott as the only remaining driver in the field with a win this season.
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