Denny Hamlin shed light on adjusting to horsepower changes after a ‘wildly successful’ 2025 season. The Joe Gibbs Racing ace noted that the added power changes the way drivers approach corner entry.
This year, NASCAR enforced a 750-horsepower bump for short tracks, road courses and ovals under 1.5 miles. The move was intended to offset the Next Gen Era’s lack of passing abilities. Combined with tire wear, NASCAR believes the racing product will improve on these tracks.
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Hamlin enjoyed a stellar season in 2025, reaching 60 career wins after six drives to the victory lane. He was poised to clinch the title as well, before a late-race tire strategy played spoiledsport and derailed his chances.
This season, Hamlin has struggled to mount a challenge. In the four starts so far, the Virginia native hasn’t qualified inside the top-10. Moreover, he has led just 18 laps so far, a far cry compared to his teammate, Christopher Bell, who has led 194 laps.
Reflecting upon the same, Hamlin shared his perspective on the latest episode of Actions Detrimental.
“We do have additional horsepower, so the speed in which you’re entering the corners are different. Therefore, the amount of brake that you use on corner entry is now different. When we were wildly successful last fall, I mean, that the teammates take that and they tweak on it and they feel like they can make it a little better here and there. I thought that the 20 was better. I felt comfortable that we were a little better than the 19 and the 54. If we we wouldn’ve won yesterday, we would’ve had to stole it”
Denny Hamlin currently ranks 12th with 107 points to his name. His fifth-place finish at Phoenix earned him a 11-place bump on the points table.
Denny Hamlin reflects on his Phoenix performance
Denny Hamlin addressed his top-5 run at Phoenix and hoped to make a turnaround soon. Notably, all three drivers of the JGR stable finished among the top-5.
“Yeah, it’s just a fringe top three to four car all day. That’s kind of all we had in the 20th and the 12th. We’re obviously little standouts there. But yeah, a great, great job by our Bob’s furniture Camry. Just need to be a little better,” Hamlin said in a post-race interview.
The Phoenix race saw a resemblance to Denny Hamlin’s strategy misstep during last year’s finale. Much like Hamlin, Christopher Bell went for four fresh tires on the final pitstop, while Ryan Blaney opted for two sets and gained track position.
The same had happened during the 2025 finale, but it was Kyle Larson who stood to benefit the two-tire call. This time around, Blaney came out the victor, while Bell failed to chase down the Penske driver.
Edited by Vignesh Kanna
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