Amidst Plans of Ditching Talladega, Denny Hamlin’s “Real Bad Day” Turned Around Unexpectedly

Only a few hours before the GEICO 500 began, Denny Hamlin shared a fair warning with the NASCAR community. ‘For fan’s sake’, he hoped that racing at Talladega Superspeedway would diverge from the usual fuel-saving boredom and move toward a more thrilling end. And though we got a thrilling climax when Tyler Reddick crossed the line, the journey up to that point sent Denny Hamlin on a rollercoaster of emotions like never before. Denny Hamlin enjoyed the spoils of victory at NASCAR’s longest oval without finishing inside the top 30 for the first time in his career.

Tyler Reddick eases Denny Hamlin’s Talladega misery with a stellar win

Though Tyler Reddick’s heroics brought home Toyota’s fourth win of the 2024 season, it wasn’t a delightful day for other TRD drivers, including the #11 JGR garage. After seven drivers of the TRD lineup had made their final pit stops and came out to form a drafting pack, all hell broke loose on lap 157. Erik Jones, who was running second in the draft, encountered turbulence from Bubba Wallace’s front end entering turn 3, eventually ending up in the outer wall as Wallace, Nemechek, and Hamlin were collected in the process.

For Denny Hamlin, that seemed to end an otherwise competitive day. Only days after Hamlin revealed his confidence as a front-runner capable of winning at every race, Talladega had thrown a curve ball unlike any other. However, the #11 driver’s misery would disappear on the cool-down lap as his 23XI Racing star, Tyler Reddick, threaded the needle and brought home the win. For the team owner and driver, it was a strange experience finishing 37th and still having to make his way to victory lane.

Reflecting on how the day had changed pace once again, Hamlin shared in the post-race press conference; “It’s different for sure because it’s only an hour from being crashed out of the race, so it’s very different for sure. But you switch over, I mean, definitely, I was down in the dumps and then I watched Tyler on the cooldown lap. I couldn’t even see the TV live. I just saw the cool down lap and I saw him coming around the corner first and I’m like, ‘We won!’. We had to have won.”

Despite his #11 sustaining major damage and ending up at the very back of the pack, Denny Hamlin couldn’t help but feel proud about the result his own racing team had brought home. The 23XI co-owner added, “I know how much work these guys put in each and everyday at 23XI, and you’re just happy for them because you know how much work gets put into into. And certainly with myself having to have a hand in every little department of the race team, its certainly gratifying. But it was a real bad day for a while.” 

At the end of the day, Denny Hamlin’s fortunes at Talladega were turned around by Tyler Reddick’s win over Michael McDowell. Instead of having to pack up and go home early to save face, Hamlin joined co-owner Michael Jordan as the celebrations began. He concluded, “I watched it from turn two in the infield. I was trying to get to be the first one out of here, but gladly I’ll probably be the last one today, so. It’s awesome for them.”

That said, Tyler Reddick’s win at Talladega triggered a certain flashback for the #11 JGR driver.

Tyler Reddick is starting to remind the 23XI boss of his past heroics

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As the GEICO 500 drew to a close, it wasn’t Tyler Reddick, but Michael McDowell who was in the lead. But that would soon change. The #34 Front Row Motorsports driver was battling it out with veteran Brad Keselowski when contact triggered a massive pileup, allowing Tyler Reddick to slingshot into the lead. That said, how the 23XI Racing driver brought home the win reminded Denny Hamlin of his own victory at Daytona in 2020.

Back then, Ryan Newman was leading the Daytona 500 after making his way past Ryan Blaney. In the tussle that ensued, Blaney’s front bumper caught the back of Newman too hard, sending him flipping onto oncoming traffic before he skidded across the finish line. As Newman was hospitalized and treated for his injuries, it was Denny Hamlin who had made the most of the battle in the front to secure his second consecutive win at the season opener.

That said, Tyler Reddick’s win after McDowell’s wreck led Hamlin to share; “It looked kind of very similar to how the Daytona 500 win was when Newman and Blaney had that wreck, and I was able to squeeze past around like Tyler did that same thing and you know it just takes a tremendous amount of it focus and a little bit of luck for sure. Happy for this team to get a win, a very deserving win.”

Looking back at Hamlin’s own misfortunes as the top Toyotas of the day got wiped out, the 23XI co-owner was glad that Reddick was able to make the most of it. He concluded, “Certainly the strategy played out right, it was our misfortune but their fortune that got em up front, they worked the lines perfectly, kept themselves in position, and Tyler did a great job, and the spotter those last few laps working together with Martin Truex Jr.”

Instead of going home empty-handed, Hamlin will be ecstatic to celebrate this win with the team. The fact that Reddick’s Talladega win reminds Hamlin of his own previous wins only indicates great signs for the future.