The smallest margins make the biggest difference in motorsports and it’s a lesson Denny Hamlin knows all too well. Especially if the 2025 Straight Talk Wireless 400 is anything to go by. The veteran racer has seen it all in his illustrious Cup Series career, but despite his age and experience, he knows that learning some of the lesser-known skills can prove to be a difference-maker. When Ross Chastain rode the wall at Martinsville to deny Hamlin a Championship 4 spot, the veteran could do nothing but watch as his Cup Series dreams were crushed.

With the ever-elusive Bill France Cup on the line, Hamlin is taking a leaf out of Chastain’s mentee, Carson Hocevar’s book, even though the youngster is an unpopular figure on the grid at the moment. Hocevar made headlines at the Atlanta race for ruffling the feathers of many drivers such as Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and even Kyle Busch. The last of those three names even commented on Hocevar recently, saying, “He hasn’t learned not one thing,” referencing a time when Hocevar sideswiped him at Kalamazoo speedway nearly a decade ago. However, after the race at Homestead, Denny Hamlin pointed out that Hocevar is excelling at something no one else on the Cup Series grid even considers.

Denny Hamlin calls out Hocevar’s genius strategy

Denny Hamlin had to fight hard at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After qualifying in 23rd place, the Florida native knew that there would be little margin for error at the 1.5-mile track if he hoped to salvage a result. The same can be said for Carson Hocevar, who started the race 15th, and neither driver managed to break into the top 10 of the opening stage at the end of the first 80 laps. However, the No. 77 Chevy driver had a trick up his sleeve to quickly gain track positions.

Speaking on the Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin referenced the Xfinity race on Saturday and candidly said, “They were going to restart with three to go and I was like, ‘Why wouldn’t you just pit and then run the absolute slowest you could to not get lapped?’ The drivers are out there, and they’re like, you know their mentality is like, ‘Alright, I got new tires, I’m just gonna go here.’ But you know you’re about to have a caution and you know you’re about to be at a tire deficit to those who are gonna pit at the end of the stage.” This seems like a fairly smart and simple strategy to gain track position, yet Hocevar was the only one who exploited it during the Cup Series race.

After Christopher Bell spun on Lap 70, drivers came into the pit road with less than 10 laps remaining in the stage. Instead of pushing for points, Carson Hocevar, ran in the back of the pack, a few seconds off the pace. The No. 77 Chevy team opted to save their Goodyear tires for the start of Stage 2, which gave them an advantage over the rest of the field.

The strategy worked, as Carson Hocevar ended up finishing ninth at the end of Stage 2, securing 2 points in the process. Denny Hamlin loved what he saw, going on to say, “That’s the right call and I wonder why people don’t do that more often. Just go really slow, don’t get lapped, then you will jump ahead all the people that hit pit road.” However, despite having a good run going, mechanical issues forced Hocevar to pit with 82 laps to go, ultimately resulting in an early retirement and a P37 finish.

Hamlin admits mistake in Homestead-Miami’s closing laps

Denny Hamlin hasn’t opened his account in the Cup Series yet. The veteran racer is currently on a 31-race winless streak, and despite coming agonizingly close on several occasions, Victory Lane has eluded him so far. He finished runner-up at Phoenix Raceway and ended up fifth at Homestead-Miami, while his teammate Christopher Bell has secured three triumphs already with the same equipment, including the Phoenix race where the two were side-by-side as the checkered flag was waved.

Despite a bad run of qualifying at Homestead, Hamlin ended up being one of the contenders for the win! He led 15 laps at the track and jostled with Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson, among others, for the lead. However, after a pit stop that saw Larson take the lead heading out of pit road, Hamlin tried to squeeze past him but the #5 was too good for him, as Hamlin was relegated to fighting for 2nd with Bubba Wallace, and eventually ended the race in fifth.

Recognizing that mistakes were made in the final laps, Hamlin said in the Actions Detrimental podcast, “At that time, immediately what happens in my head is I get off the line and I’m looking and say, ‘Can I just slide up and clear? Can I gas it, slide up and clear? At the time, I’m clear. As I’m coming up the track, I’m losing time because I’m cranking the wheel left, I’m running about half throttle, and the 48 [Alex Bowman] was there. I tried to square up in front of the five. He was like ‘No, I’ve got a run here,’ and there’s not enough room. Luckily, I didn’t get crashed there.”

Denny Hamlin must be feeling bittersweet. On one hand, finishing inside the top five and winning stage 2 after starting the race in 23rd place is a phenomenal outcome. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will look back and consider it a missed opportunity, especially when a win was there for the taking. However, there are plenty of encouraging signs the No. 11 Toyota team can take back with them to Airspeed, and they will look to build up on the result at the upcoming Cook Out 400 at Martinsville, one of Hamlin’s favorite tracks.

With 5 Martinsville victories under his belt in the Cup Series, do you think Hamlin can break his winless duck next week? Let us know in the comments!