Denny Hamlin’s hopes for a strong finish at the 2025 NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 were dashed by a fueling mishap during a critical pit stop, ending his contention for victory and resulting in a 16th-place finish.
Denny Hamlin, driving the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, entered the Coca-Cola 600 with high expectations. He was tied with Kyle Busch for 12 top-10 finishes in this event and was the 2022 winner in the Next-Gen car era. However, the 2025 race followed a difficult month for Hamlin, marked by mechanical failures in previous races at Kansas (transaxle failure) and Texas (fire), which had already put him on edge going into Charlotte.Hamlin started 20th but quickly moved up to 7th by the end of Stage 1.
By lap 120, he was closely following William Byron, who dominated by winning three stages and leading 283 of the 400 laps. Hamlin led for 53 laps starting from lap 261, engaging in a thrilling duel with Byron. The two swapped the lead 12 times, thrilling fans as they battled for first and second positions for much of the race.
With 52 laps remaining, Hamlin pitted for fuel. During the stop, one of the two fuel cans used by his pit crew failed to discharge fuel properly. Although the fueler appeared to have the canister plugged in correctly, no fuel entered Hamlin’s car, and some fuel spilled on the pit lane. This error meant that Hamlin left the pits with insufficient fuel, forcing him to make an additional late pit stop that effectively ended his chances of winning.
Hamlin described the incident after the race:
“No fuel came out of the can. So, not sure. It was plugged in, I saw that a guy plugged it in, but there was no fuel in the can. There was nothing going into the car.”
Once informed that he was short on fuel, Hamlin stopped aggressively chasing Byron to avoid risking a crash due to running dry. He hoped for a late caution to regroup, but none came. Tyler Reddick, another contender, narrowly avoided a crash that could have brought out a caution, but Hamlin had to pit again for fuel just before the finish.
Ross Chastain, driving a backup car for Trackhouse Racing, capitalized on the opportunity and won the race after passing William Byron in the final laps. Hamlin finished 16th, scoring 44 points, the fourth-most of all drivers that day, but it was his fourth consecutive finish outside the top 15, continuing a frustrating streak.
Hamlin reflected on the race:
“I feel good about our performance. I feel crappy about how we finish. That’s been the story of the last month, and not much has changed.”
He also noted the challenge of the small pit stalls at Charlotte, which contributed to pit road difficulties, and expressed hope that luck might turn in his favor in future races.
