The final few laps of stage 1 at Talladega were a spectacle to witness, as top contenders jostled for the lead, eventually leading to a near 3 wide photo finish. A few moments ago, Denny Hamlin had proposed to work with his bitter Hendrick Motorsports rival, which the other even agreed to. However, their allegiance lasted only for a little while.

During the race, Hamin stated, “See if the #24 wants to do that inside-outside where I drop down.” William Byron accepted his proposal and said, “Yeah, that’s fine.” The spotter for the #8 later came on the radio and stated, “#11 and #24 have not left each other once they’ve got up front.” Byron’s spotter later stated, “Big run now, you and #11.” Hamlin’s spotter then said, “Outside, #24 pulled up.”

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After working together for a little while, Byron pulled up top, and seeing him, Hamlin decided to block. But Byron seemed to have calculated the move and went down the inside and past Hamlin. However, the stage win was not picked up by either of them. Instead, Ryan Blaney took the win, just inches away from the number 11, with Chase Elliott half a car length behind the two.

Denny Hamlin finished the day with good points but seemed to be craving more

Hamlin may have been ultra-competitive at Talladega Superspeedway, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was unable to march onto victory lane instead he ended stage 3 at the 4th position behind the infamous Ross Chastain.

Later during an interview, Hamlin was asked if the race was successful in his eyes since they were able to score a healthy 21 points. Hamlin responded, “We accomplished what we were trying to do. What other guys did, we couldn’t change that. Would I like to have more? Yes. Obviously, we executed the day we wanted to. Better than what we started the day, we’ll take it.”

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The upcoming race at Charlotte Roval would be the final chance for playoff contenders to battle for their spot as the championship advances to the round of 8. We hope that Denny Hamlin is lucky enough to make it all the way.