NASCAR Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin’s run at the Sonoma Raceway is done after the driver blew up his engine on Lap 3 of the race. There were concerns regarding Toyota’s engine issues as Christopher Bell faced a similar problem last weekend at Gateway Park. Unlike Bell, the JGR veteran driver won’t be able to continue his race and take a massive hit in terms of points.

It was rather unusual to see an engine blow up that badly, and the incident even caught Hamlin by surprise, who was heard saying on the radio, “Hell no. It f**king detonated.”

Sharing further insights into what caused the engine troubles, he said, “It’s just the gearing is just a little weird for the track, it’s a lot of high-end RPM stuff but same as everyone else and then just blew up at Lap 2. So still not really sure, they’ll look at it and figure it out.”

This early exit was indeed a bitter blow for Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing, as their arch-rivals Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports retook the lead in the points standings. The JGR driver was on a streak of top 5 finishes in his last five races, including his third win of the season at Dover. Interestingly, Sonoma Raceway has proved to be a troublesome venue for Hamlin. In his three attempts to get a good result in the Next-Gen car, he has ended up in 30th place finish or worse, including the two DNF finishes.

When asked if he had been facing any issues with the engine before the drop of the green flag at Sonoma, he replied, “No, it’s just a random, random blow-up. Haven’t had one in some time, but not ideal for sure. I didn’t notice anything, just trying to get up to speed, but that was out of the blue, down the straightaway.”

Hamlin was quoted saying this to Frontstretch. However, the fans were not sold on Denny Hamlin’s suspicion regarding a potential technical failure and blamed him for his own misery.

Fans blame Hamlin and not the mechanical failure for his early elimination

On a racetrack like Sonoma, with a total of 11 turns, drivers have to shift gears multiple times. Missing a shift can lead to engine troubles, and that is exactly what fans were trying to argue online, “When the last time an engine blew like this? Unless he missed a shift.” “Definitely missed a shift,” added another fan, reiterating the same.

It is indeed rare to see an engine go up in smoke, especially with a Next-Gen car. Moreover, this was a concerning sight for the Toyota-backed team as it was the second week in a row where the race car had engine trouble. “I can’t even remember the last time a motor grenade like that. Also 2 weeks in a row that Toyota has had engine problems.”

Meanwhile, this was a perfect opportunity for some rival team fans to have their say on JGR’s troublesome time. “He should retire. This is embarrassing.”

Hamlin’s early exit could potentially open the door back up for Kyle Larson to retake the points lead, and this is what few fans are hoping for. “What an absolute W.”

After succumbing to an early exit from the Sonoma race, Denny Hamlin now finds himself 26 points adrift of the points leader, Kyle Larson. He currently sits third in the regular season points standings.