RADIO
Overtime Four-Tire Call Costs Denny Hamlin the Championship
Denny Hamlin was the sentimental favorite for the NASCAR Cup Series championship because not only is he the winningest non-champion but his father is also terminally ill. For most of the race, it looked like it was going to happen as Hamlin started on the pole and led 208 out of 319 laps. Although William Byron pipped him to win Stage 1, he retook the leda from eventual winner Ryan Blaney and dominated Stage 2. In a race where all four championship contenders had tire issues, Hamlin had a slow pit stop as the team struggled to jack the car after a flat tire, which dropped him to 11th. Nonetheless, he retook the lead and was leading when Byron popped a tire and crashed with two laps left. However, his team's decision to take four tires on the final restart dropped him to tenth and he could only make it back to fifth, resulting in a second-place championship finish and one of the playoff format's biggest buzzkills.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference
