Darlington is known as ‘The Track Too Tough to Tame’ for a reason. The 1.36-mile oval has faced plenty of criticism, particularly in the Next-Gen era, for being notoriously difficult for drivers to pass on. The 2025 Goodyear 400 was proof that the media backlash has some truth, as William Byron led a staggering 243 laps, becoming only the second driver in stage racing history to lead every lap in two stages.

However, eventual race-winner Denny Hamlin shared an alternate perspective of Darlington Raceway’s criticism. The veteran racer shed light on the importance of race strategy in gaining track positions, an essential but often overlooked factor that proved to be the difference maker for the No. 11 team at ‘The Lady in Black.’

Denny Hamlin reveals the secret to his Darlington success

Dominant. That would be the right word to describe William Byron’s performance at the 2025 Goodyear 400. The Hendrick Motorsports driver led the most laps at Darlington and was looking like the overwhelming favorite to clinch his second triumph in the Cup Series. However, racing is more than just running fast on the racetrack and hoping for the best possible outcome. Pit strategy, tire management, and luck can also play an important role, especially in a format that is better described as a marathon rather than a sprint. It’s a lesson Byron was forced to learn the hard way at Darlington.

Challenging the criticism against Darlington, Denny Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast, “Darlington is just one of those tracks [where] you can’t hide. A lot of the media members talk about, ‘Man, it’s just, there was not much passing and whatnot.’ It’s getting tougher and tougher because the cars are just so equal and then it comes down to pit crew, strategy, driver. You know, driver’s still the biggest factor in your position, there’s no question about that, but all those things combined, put together, equals your result on any given Sunday.”

Pit stop and race strategy proved to be the difference-maker for both Denny Hamlin and William Byron and Darlington. The #24 team decided to call the Hendrick Motorsports driver into the pit lane with 49 laps to go, by which time both Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell were already on fresher tires. What that meant was that during the closing laps of the race, Byron found himself in an unfamiliar position as his rivals occupied the top spots thanks to a superior strategy.

Hamlin confirmed the same when revealing the approach the #20 team went with at Darlington. He said, “At that time, the crew chief of the 20 is thinking, ‘Okay, if I’m gonna pit him a little earlier than the #24, hopefully, it’s two laps earlier than the #24 chooses to pit, that way, I’m gonna be in front of him and then hopefully Christopher can do a good job of holding him off until the tires sort of equalize, which he did.’”

The same thing can be said about Denny Hamlin. The veteran racer was running third behind Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney with just four laps to go before Larson, down 167 laps, got spun out by Bubba Wallace to bring out a caution. All the teams took to the pits before making a final dash to the finish line, and the #11 crew executed the fastest pit stop of the day (9.42 seconds), allowing the Florida native to start in front when the race resumed in overtime. With his car set up perfectly for a short run, all Hamlin had to do was hold off his rivals to secure a consecutive Cup victory.

Denny Hamlin’s victory at Darlington differed vastly from his dominant run at Martinsville. At the Paperclip, Hamlin led 247 laps en route to a dominant victory to stamp his authority as a 6-time Martinsville champion, but Darlington saw Hamlin’s pit crew take the spoils. Even outside that last pit stop, Hamlin’s crew has been by far the most consistent compared to any team this season. The #11 leads all teams in four-tire pit stops with an average time of 9.650 seconds, 0.322 seconds ahead of 2nd place Noah Gragson!

It’s evident that pitting was where the race was won and lost, and despite making history, Byron had to taste defeat on Sunday and opened up about his experience at the ‘Lady in Black.’

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William Byron sheds light on where it all went wrong

Missed opportunity. That’s how William Byron will view the Goodyear 400 after finishing runner-up in Darlington behind rival Denny Hamlin. Despite dominating the race and leading with just 50 laps to go, the No. 24 team was outclassed on the pit road, proving that gaining track positions is not just a matter of speed but of tactical brilliance as well. When the Hendrick Motorsports racer emerged from the pits, he came back in 12th place, far behind rivals Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick.

Visibly disappointed by the outcome, Byron still gave credit where it was due, saying, “The team did a great job, a great car. We just needed control of the race there under green, and we lost that with the sequence. The 45 [Tyler Reddick] went really short, and you know, we lost a few spots under the green flag sequence, and that was the difference. So, we, you know, had a good, decent run that time.”

Despite the setback, the No. 24 Chevy worked its way up the grid on fresh tires, climbing to third. However, standing in Byron’s way was Christopher Bell, who made it difficult for the HMS driver to make the pass. Ultimately, a late caution helped the 2025 Daytona 500 winner line up in the second row, only to fall short and finish in second place after Denny Hamlin and his crew had a better pit stop that proved to be the difference-maker in the end.