Chaotic. That’s the only way to describe NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at EchoPark Speedway this weekend. As lightning cracked over the Atlantic sky and dark clouds loomed, drivers were left navigating a slick, uncertain surface under constant threat of a stop. It wasn’t just a battle for grid position; it was survival on a volatile track that looked more like a warzone than a competitive arena.

But Joey Logano seemed to have braved it all, putting his No. 22 out in front. In the midst of it all, Denny Hamlin found himself right at the heart of the storm. What unfolded in qualifying and how he reacted to it sent shockwaves through the paddock, setting the tone for what could be an explosive race weekend in more than one way.

Hamlin’s qualifying frustration explodes amid stormy Atlanta

Mother Nature seems to be angry lately. Qualifying was cut short and carved up by Georgia’s volatile weather. What started as a promising afternoon quickly evolved into a lightning-plagued mess. The final round of Xfinity Series qualifying was cancelled entirely, while Cup Series drivers were given just one single lap to set their time, turning precision into a gamble.

For Denny Hamlin, that gamble did not pay off. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran was forced to make his lap under questionable grip conditions and ended up 33rd on the timesheets. A frustrating result for a driver used to contending at the front. With only one lap to get it right, there was no room to recover; only regret left behind. The track was dry but slick, and the teams did not get the usual few laps or adjustments they rely on.

Shortly after his run, Denny Hamlin took to X and fired off a bold post: “It’s too dangerous out there… call it.”
However, fans and fellow drivers quickly picked up on the rear undertone. Hamlin’s post wasn’t just about safety. It was a thinly veiled swipe at NASCAR’s decision to finish the session instead of calling it early, which would’ve locked him into the front row start based on practice speeds. Instead, the show went on, the track got sketchy, and Hamlin’s shot at clean air vanished with the rain clouds.

The No. 11 driver has been on a tear this season, racking up three wins, eight top fives, and nine top tens in just 16 races. He dominated at Michigan, securing his third win of the year, and followed it up with a strong runner-up finish at Pocono after starting on pole, leading 32 laps, and winning stage 1.

Those back-to-back top two results catapulted him to 3rd in the standings, just 78 points behind leader William Byron. Earlier in the year, Hamlin also triumphed at Martinsville and Darlington, proving once again that short tracks are his playground. Through it all, he’s logged 487 laps led, with an average start of 11.1 and an average finish of 12.8, solidifying his place among the season’s most consistent and dangerous contenders.

In a way, Atlanta denied Danny a position. While Hamlin didn’t make a formal post-qualifying media appearance, the tone of his tweet said enough. It wasn’t just about his lap; it was about safety, fairness, and NASCAR’s willingness to press forward in less than ideal circumstances. Ironically, even with the rough qualifying lap, Hamlin enters the weekend as the No. 1 seed in the in-season challenge, NASCAR’s newest mid-season elimination tournament with a $1 million prize on the line, and he is to face Ty Dillon in round one, who is the lowest-seated qualifier. However, things do not seem that great for his 23XI Racing team.

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23XI Racing’s pace under fire as Harvick sounds the alarm

At EchoPark Speedway, Tyler Reddick qualified 23rd and Bubba Wallace 24th, underscoring 23XI Racing’s ongoing struggle for pace. Neither driver has captured a victory this season, and both hover just inside or above the playoff bubble. These qualifying efforts reflected a team in need of momentum.

Wallace, currently sitting 29 points above the cut line, has remained candid about the slump. He suffered a brake failure at Pocono, which led to a disappointing finish, but remains hopeful heading into Atlanta with a “fresh set of downs” mindset. Despite securing three top threes this year, he is yet to find the breakthrough win.

And Kevin Harvick offered a very candid critique on his happy hour just a few days ago. He says, “I would say there are some concerns about the 23XI speed in general, I don’t think Reddick has been as fast; I think Bubba started really well and has been kind of average in a lot of the most recent weeks.”

Tyler has delivered a solid, if not spectacular, season marked by reliability and strong qualifying but lacking in race-winning pace. With a single pole, 94 laps led, and no DNFs, he’s shown competitive consistency. Still, his 12th-place standing with five top tens suggests closing the gap on 23XI Racing’s frontrunners and drivers better positioned for postseason contention. Moreover, Harvick applauds Reddick’s consistency and error-free driving but hammers the point that raw speed remains the team’s Achilles heel.

Harvick says, “To me, the speed part from the 45 car is concerning to me. He’s done a good job with his experience in keeping cars in races and getting finishes out of them, but that overall raw speed—I haven’t seen it from either one of them in several weeks.” With both drivers under pressure and playoff positioning at stake, 23XI’s formula demands more than consistency; it needs a speed revival. Atlanta’s slick, high-speed offers a chance for redemption. Whether they’ll seize it remains the burning question.