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NASCAR: Denny Hamlin Explains What Happened During Las Vegas Race

Sunday afternoon was a big day for NASCAR. All eyes were on Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott following the events of the Auto Club 400. However, veteran NASCAR star Denny Hamlin also made waves in the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday afternoon. However, it was not for the best reasons. Unfortunately for Hamlin, his day ended early on Sunday afternoon. He explained what happened during the race in Las Vegas.

Denny Hamlin’s Mistake at NASCAR Pennzoil 400

Hamlin told FOX, “Yeah, we broke the transaxle.” It was a rough ending considering how well Hamlin had been racing throughout the afternoon. A potential big-time finish might have been in store for him had it not have happened. He concluded, “Just killed every gear when I left pit road. We had the best car today. Just got back there and we were working our way forward and made mistakes.” It was an honest mistake. One that Hamlin and his crew will bounce back from going forward.

Alex Bowman Wins Pennzoil 400

While the day did not end how Hamlin may have wanted. It certainly did for Hendrick Motorsports. Indeed, Alex Bowman took home the checkered flag on Sunday, holding off his teammate Kyle Larson to win the race in overtime. He said, “This thing was so fast all day.” Bowman added, “Just never really had the track position to show it. But man, what a call by (crew chief) Greg Ives and the guys to take two (tires) there and obviously it paid off.” It was a huge win for Bowman and the team of Hendrick Motorsports as the team has now won back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series races.

Bowman concluded, “Racing Kyle (Larson) is always fun and I’ve got to race him for a couple wins and we always race each other super clean and super respectively. Just can’t say enough about these guys.” Larson came up just short of winning back-to-back races.

However, a lot of eyes were on Larson and Elliott. What happened on the track last week was such a big deal that this past week team president Rick Hendrick attended an important meeting this past week to smooth over the issues with the star drivers and get everyone on the same page.

Larson said about the situation, “That’s the only meeting since I’ve been there that Rick’s been a part of in that sense.” He continued, “He’s been to competition meetings and stuff like that. And we’ve had multiple meetings about different things. But as far as the racing and stuff, that’s the first one I can remember him getting involved in.”

Only time will tell if Denny Hamlin bounces back in Phoenix this week in the next NASCAR Cup Series race.