Hamlin, Blaney Disappointed by Missed Opportunity at Homestead
While Tyler Reddick experienced the ultimate elation as he zoomed past two competitors on the final lap of Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win and secure his place in the Championship 4 field, the two Playoff drivers that the 23XI Racing driver blasted by were left with nothing to show for their efforts but disappointment.
RELATED: Tyler Reddick Emerges Victorious in Electric Homestead Finish
RELATED: Michael Jordan on Tyler Reddick Win: "Little Kid Drove His Ass Off"
Ryan Blaney, who is looking to defend his NASCAR Cup Series championship from a season ago, and Denny Hamlin, who is still trying to nab his elusive first Bill France Cup, came up just short of a win, which would have brought each driver one step closer to the ultimate goal. Instead of either driver locking their place into the Championship 4, they will both enter the final race of the Round of 8 of the Playoffs below the cutline.
Hamlin exits Homestead sixth in the Playoff Standings, 18 points below the final spot above the cutline, while Blaney sits seventh, 38 points back.
STANDINGS: NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings After Homestead
While it was a heartbreaking ending for both drivers, it was excessively excruciating for Blaney, who held the top spot heading into Turns 3 and 4 on the final lap. As Blaney navigated the final turns from the middle of the track, Reddick, a master of riding the momentum-building outside lane, cruised right on by in the outside lane.
"It's obvious: disappointment," Blaney dejectedly stated when asked what he felt as Reddick finished performing his celebratory burnout. "Yeah, I had a great shot to win. Didn't have a very good last lap. Man, I thought I got into three hard. The 45 just blitzed off in there. It stuck for him, which is pretty impressive."
Blaney says he will agonize about the finish for the remainder of the night, but he and his No. 12 Team Penske group will refocus on the task at hand, which is delivering a Championship 4 berth-clinching win at Martinsville Speedway.
"I'll be thinking through it all night, what I should have done differently probably," Blaney anguished. "That's just the way it goes. Overall really proud of the effort. Hopefully, we can bring it to them next week."
While it wasn't the outcome Blaney wanted to Sunday's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it feels important to note that Blaney, needing a win to advance to the Championship 4, last year finished runner-up at Homestead and ultimately followed that up with a stirring win at Martinsville Speedway. He'll look to repeat that performance.
Hamlin, who finished third in the three-driver battle for the win, said he was at a disadvantage on the short dash to the finish after a Kyle Larson spin brought the caution out with 12 laps remaining in the race. Hamlin's car was one of the best in the event on the long run, but the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE struggled on the short run.
"Well, I'm not really sure [what I could have done differently]," Hamlin explained of the final restart. "[I] Tried to cover all lanes, but just couldn't quite get off the corner as good as I needed to there on that short run. Short run wasn't my specialty all day, obviously."
However, Hamlin wasn't willing to use the race ending in a short run as an excuse for losing the race. The 43-year-old racer says he had the lead, and race win in his grasp with two laps to go, and simply couldn't close out the race.
"Either way, controlling the race with two to go, you got to try to find a way to finish it. Just didn't," Hamlin expressed.
While the disappointment was palpable for the 54-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner, Hamlin, a Virginia native, has gained a reputation for being a master at Martinsville Speedway, the Virginia short track that hosts next week's final race of the Playoffs Round of 8.
Hamlin has five wins at the 0.526-mile short track, and he's led a staggering 2,448 laps around the half-mile paperclip. Hamlin knows he has a history of good runs at Martinsville, but he stopped shy of promising like he did on his Actions Detrimental Podcast heading into the race last season.
"I mean, yeah, it's another opportunity," Hamlin explained. "Certainly you're not out of it till they throw the checkered flag at Martinsville."
While he didn't pull out the win last year at Martinsville, Hamlin did finish third in that race, and he was in the mix for the win and advancement to the Championship 4 until Blaney surged to the front in the closing laps. Expect both drivers who suffered heartbreak in the closing laps this week at Homestead to have a shot to win their way into the Championship 4 next weekend at Martinsville Speedway, and if they ultimately come up short, expect them to go down swinging.
Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.