Denny Hamlin was in complete preparation to carry forward his momentum from the All-Star Race and win the 2026 Coca–Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Despite a strong show of pace, however, heavy rain ended the race 27 laps early. Yet, Hamlin missed a massive shot to clinch the race lead in the final moments, and he seemed to be putting the finger on the rift amongst the Toyota drivers.

“Me and the #20 both knew like, just whoever can clear. The 20 was clear, but it just seemed like every time he got a run on the 7, the 7 was kind of running them up,” Hamlin told the media after the race, explaining the situation he and fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell were in while battling within the top three to snatch the lead away from Daniel Suarez.

Despite having started the race in 11 place, an incident-filled track gave Hamlin the opportunity to make it up to the top five within the first stage. By the time the race moved into its final stage, the likes of Tyler Reddick were still in contention to win; meanwhile, Hamlin kept a strong presence in the top 5. However, the weather, which had been a massive threat all day, acted up, and a caution was thrown because of the same.

As the race restarted, Denny Hamlin was left without any support in third place. As he explained, Bell was attempting to attach to Suarez at the front, but making an overtake without a push was difficult, and when Hamlin attempted to make an overtake, he made contact with Bell.

“That allowed me then to get big runs on the 20, which conversely, also was bad for us and good for the 7, because then we battled each other. So, again, just one corner away,” he added.

As they battled each other, Suarez had enough time to create a gap just long enough to stay till the next caution. The drivers were then pulled into the pits, and the race was called with 27 laps still remaining. Daniel Suarez, in the #7, clinched his maiden victory with Spire Motorsports and paid an emotional tribute to the late Kyle Busch.

Hamlin, meanwhile, had to settle for a third-place finish, still giving him the edge in the table. But, as his team had planned, the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 could have once again been in Victory Lane today.

Denny Hamlin could have been in the victory lane at Charlotte

“We were really, really fast, and you know, all the cars had shots to win it at some point.” As the case has been for most of the season by now, Toyota was extremely strong on the track today. The likes of Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and even Ty Gibbs had a great shot at winning the race. However, winning the Coca-Cola 600 isn’t as easy as said to be.

Being the longest race on the calendar, the teams have well-planned strategies, and the real aggressiveness isn’t even visible until the final stage, and so was the case this time around. Denny Hamlin had placed himself in a great position to begin pushing, alongside Christopher Bell, and to overtake Suarez. However, the race was called a little too early for him to execute the plan.

“We had planned all day for the last 50, like to get our car right for the last 50, and I just felt really confident that those last few restarts, like, I could really get some speed going. It just was a matter of like who could clear between me and the 20, and we couldn’t clear each other,” Hamlin told the media after the race.

“And it was buying the 7 some extra time, and it was just enough time, because every time he washed up the track, and it’s like I’m pinned to the bottom about to get beside the 7, caution came out. It was, uh, really unfortunate, but it rained, so nothing we can do about it.”

This, paired with the fact that he had minimal support from the #20 in those final laps, put Denny Hamlin at a massive disadvantage. However, he still has time. Placing second in the table, Hamlin is in a strong spot to contend for the title. Meanwhile, Reddick, still on a high from his initial five-race wins, leads the field.