Time and again, pit-stop strategies have played a huge role in handing the drivers an extra boost during NASCAR races. There are instances, where a surprise call and pitting strategies could have changed the fortunes of a driver, and this came true for the Cook Out 400 race at Martinsville for William Byron.

For the HMS driver, an early call to pit landed him in prime position to go on and win the race. Whereas, a similar effort by Denny Hamlin didn’t come to fruition after deciding to pit ahead of the overtime finish. It was indeed a strange call by Chris Gabehart and Hamlin to pit late in the race, given that they could have finished inside the top 5. However, according to Kevin Harvick, they were in a position to make that gamble call, trying to catch everyone by surprise.

Kevin Harvick explains the reasoning behind Hamlin’s questionable pit-stop strategy

The most important factor for any driver to secure their spot in the playoff round is to bag a win during the regular season. In Hamlin’s case, he has been able to go to victory lane not just once but twice since the start of the season. His first win came at Bristol, while he emerged victorious at Richmond, thanks to a splendid job by his pit crew.

Therefore, #11 has the cushion of experimenting with different tactics, which were on display at Martinsville Speedway. Moreover, with Byron and his team already pulling ahead in the race, they needed an unconventional strategy to get back into winning contention. Explaining the thought process behind Hamlin’s pit gamble, Kevin Harvick on Happy Hour said, “Martinsville is a racetrack that you have to evolve with and make the right calls on your cars and adjustments and things throughout the day.”

Sharing his views on the late pit stop call, Harvick added, “But there another team that was in a position to just say screw it were going to put and hopefully were the first car to pit, and we come out fifth or forth or whatever the pit cycle was. Whole bunch of them stayed out, and they didn’t have a chance. But they’re in a position where Chris Gabehart can make that call and be able to say, let’s just see what happens here.”

While Hamlin would have stayed out for the final restart of the race, it was his crew chief’s call to make the pit stop trying to lure the other drivers.

Chris Gabehart advised Hamlin to shake things up for the overtime restart

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With three HMS cars leading the charge for the final few laps after the late caution, Hamlin, despite his best efforts, could not find his way to the lead #24 car. This is where the dynamics of the race hinged on strategy calls and pit stops. The Richmond race saw similar scenes unfold, and Hamlin’s crew was hoping for something similar to happen at Martinsville. Unfortunately, the HMS trio won despite the #11 JGR’s thoughtful strategy.

“We have two wins. We were going to have to restart fourth there. I ultimately told Denny, if nobody in front of you pits, go ahead and pit. Let’s try to shake it up, make something different happen. Fourth or fifth is really, no different to us from 10th or 11th, given we have two wins,” Gabehart said after the race.

For the most part, Hamlin and his crew chief have implemented successful winning strategies so far this season. But this time, they were unlucky for nothing. This certainly won’t be the last time the duo tried something different during the regular season, knowing that they have secured the playoffs with those two wins in the bag.

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