Hamlin started on the pole in Sunday’s race, led the first three laps, but never seriously challenged again for the win.
He and then-race leader Michael McDowell pit on the same lap in the first stage only to see McDowell get penalized for driving through too many pit boxes. Hamlin ended spending much of the remainder of the race trying to chase down eventual winner William Byron.
Hamlin’s second-place finish combined with the sixth-place finish by points leader Martin Truex Jr., helped cut Hamlin’s margin down to 39 points with next only next weekend’s race at Daytona International Speedway remaining.
“I’m happy with my day. It takes me a while to get going, and with (Michael) McDowell there at the beginning, like he’s just ready and he’s on kill, and I’m kind of working my way into it,” Hamlin said.
“I just lost the lead because I looked at (Byron’s) back bumper the rest of the day. It was a fun race. Appreciate the guys here and Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing for giving me a good car and giving me the tools I need to get better.”
Why it is important
The regular season title is especially important because it comes with a bonus of 15 playoff points, which can be critical in advancing through the three playoff rounds.
Asked if overcoming the 39-point margin was possible at Daytona, Hamlin said, “I mean, it’s doable. You’ve got to have things go your way.
“But yeah, if we can talk NASCAR into those 25 points they took away earlier in the season, we’d really make it interesting.”
In March, NASCAR penalized Hamlin 25 points and fined him $50,000 after he admitted on his weekly podcast, “Actions Detrimental,” to intentionally wrecking Ross Chastain at the end of the March 13 race at Phoenix.
The two drivers had several run-ins on the track dating as far back as the Gateway race last summer.
