Jun 29, 2026, 10:29 AM ET

Denny Hamlin's performance in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway had promise but ended with an underwhelming result. Hamlin began Sunday's Cup Series race from ninth and displayed solid speed compared to the rest of the field in the earlier stages. The No. 11 Toyota driver ran inside the top 10 through most of the first stage until he went for a pit stop on lap 23. After the pit stop, Hamlin ended the first stage in 12th with no stage points. In the second stage, Hamlin regained positions after others went to pit road during the stage break and moved back into a top-10 spot. He continued to run there through the stage until he pitted again before the end of the second stage. Hamlin went on to finish the second stage in 14th, earning no stage points for the day. In the middle of the final stage on lap 64, Hamlin was bumped by Carson Hocevar and spun off the track. Although he was able to keep going, there were no further cautions, and Hamlin struggled to regain positions. Ultimately, the spin was the main contributing factor to his underwhelming finish of 26th. However, with Tyler Reddick having steering issues and finishing 36th, Hamlin now has the regular-season points lead for the first time this year, as he is now one point ahead of Reddick after 18 races this season.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com