As the motorsports world gears up for one of its biggest events of the year, NASCAR star Denny Hamlin is entering the Coca-Cola 600 with a dose of hard-earned humility and a strikingly honest self-assessment.
On the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin, along with co-host Jared Allen, reflected on the lessons learned from the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race and what lies ahead in Charlotte. For Hamlin, the showdown at North Wilkesboro didn’t just serve as a bump in the road. It was quite the reality check.
While Memorial Day weekend represents a high point on the calendar, one packed with tradition, endurance, and prestige, Hamlin’s mindset heading into NASCAR’s longest race of the season is less about glamor and more about fundamentals.
Recent Slump Forces Denny Hamlin to Reset Expectations for Coca-Cola 600
Opening up on the podcast, Hamlin said, “I just want to win when we’re capable of winning. I want to run good. I want to have speed. We have that every single week, this week again just brought me a little bit back to reality about Cup Series racing and how hard it can be sometimes.”
Hamlin admitted that recent poor races and bad finishing positions have had a compounding effect on his performance and positioning, especially in qualifying. Due to his recent string of finishes, Hamlin drew an early spot in qualifying, which often comes with unfavorable track conditions.
“But yeah, I just want to run well, want to be you know this race has got more stages than the other races, we have a s***, s***, s***, s*** draw. We’re going to go out early, we’re going to qualify like dog s***, and we’re probably not going to get very good stage points early on, and hopefully we just make our way to the front as the race goes on,” Hamlin bluntly added.
Despite starting off strong and sitting near the top of the win column this season, Hamlin’s recent struggles have pushed him down in the points standings. Something he is openly frustrated about and acknowledged is adding pressure to an already grueling race weekend.
The Coca-Cola 600, with four stages and quite often extreme conditions, isn’t just a physical and mental test, but also a strategic challenge that doesn’t allow for early or any mistakes.
Still, amid the frustration, Hamlin expressed determination to turn the tide. With a fully stacked 40-car field, evolving track conditions, and 600 miles to claw back, there’s plenty of time for the No. 11 team to win or at least recover a better position in the points standings.