At a high-speed drafting track like Daytona, controversy unfolds just as quickly as the wrecks. During the 68th running of “The Great American Race,” NASCAR faced one of those split-second decisions that can define a legacy.
When the “Big One” erupted in Turn 1 on the final lap, the caution many expected never came. No yellow flag. No frozen field. Instead, officials kept the race green and allowed a flat-out sprint to the checkered flag.
Denny Hamlin Applauds NASCAR’s No-Caution Daytona Decision
NASCAR’s bold call instantly divided opinion before ultimately earning respect across much of the garage. For many fans, it was exactly how the sport’s biggest race should end. And for Denny Hamlin, a veteran never shy about criticizing NASCAR when warranted, it was a decision grounded in consistency.
As the field thundered toward the white flag, it was Spire Motorsports standout Carson Hocevar setting the pace, not 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott. But the complexion of the race changed in an instant. On the final lap, Hocevar and Erik Jones made contact entering Turn 1, triggering a violent chain-reaction crash.
The incident quickly snowballed into a multi-car pileup, sweeping up Michael McDowell, John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Cole Custer, Corey Heim, Jimmie Johnson, Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, AJ Allmendinger, and Ty Gibbs.
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Despite the carnage, NASCAR resisted the instinctive late-race yellow. Officials kept the event under green, allowing the leaders to race back to the checkered flag, a decision that stunned teams anticipating an overtime restart.
For Hamlin, however, the moment represented something different. Rather than inconsistency, he saw a measured, holistic approach from race control, a stark contrast to the officiating debate that followed Friday’s chaotic Truck Series race. Reflecting on the final-lap call during his “Action Detrimental” podcast, the 45-year-old said:
“It was a great finish. I didn’t get to see it, I was on the other side of the racetrack, just trying to get my car to minimum speed in case there was another crash, maybe I gained few spots.”
While Elliott briefly inherited the lead following the Hocevar–Jones contact, another wave of chaos unfolded behind him, with Riley Herbst’s involvement intensifying the scramble. In the middle of it all, Tyler Reddick threaded his way through a second flashpoint near the tri-oval and surged to the checkered flag, securing his first Daytona 500 victory, a landmark moment for team co-owners Michael Jordan and Hamlin.
Hamlin, however, didn’t witness the winning move firsthand. “They told me that the No. 45 had won, I had no idea in what shape or fashion,” he said. “I went through the Turn 1 wreck, I mentioned it in the media center what I thought about the caution in Turn 1.”
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What followed was not criticism but genuine praise. Unlike his previous public disagreements with NASCAR, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran took a measured tone when evaluating the call. By the time he returned to the crash site, he believed the urgency had passed.
“When I drove through there again about 30 seconds later, after the wreck had happened, there was nobody left on the racetrack; everybody had washed down to the bottom, either to the grass or the apron,” the No. 11 driver explained.
“I was the only car really coming. Me and maybe the No. 2, were left to have to go through the crash scene, but again, by the time we were there, they were already gone. So, I think NASCAR looked at it holistically and said, ‘There’s no immediate danger.’ Well it was a consistent call from what we saw on Friday.”
In a sport where officiating often draws louder headlines than the racing itself, NASCAR’s final-lap restraint at Daytona may have restored a measure of trust.
