When asked about his performance on the final restart, Denny Hamlin reflected on his efforts with Chris Gabart, expressing some frustration.

“I tried to cover all lanes, but I just couldn’t get off the corner as well as I needed on that short run,” Hamlin said. Short runs had not been his strong suit that day, though he felt he’d controlled the race with only two laps remaining and aimed to finish strong. “Chris gave me everything I needed to race them; I just couldn’t get it done,” he added.

Asked about his long-run strength, Hamlin noted his comfort with worn tires, a factor he could usually leverage to his advantage, though he wished he could’ve found more speed in the shorter stretches. As he looked toward Martinsville, Hamlin stayed optimistic, recognizing that they’re in the race until the checkered flag drops. “It’s another opportunity,” he said, “and we’ll give it our best shot next week.”