Denny Hamlin’s bid for a podium finish in the 2025 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway ended in disappointment due to a late-race fueling mishap.
Running in third place with just over ten laps remaining, Hamlin was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop, ultimately finishing 16th in NASCAR’s longest race.
The issue stemmed from a problem during his final scheduled pit stop. Hamlin explained, “No fuel came out of the can. It was plugged in.
I saw that it got plugged in, but there was no fuel in the can, or there was nothing going into the car” . This oversight left his No. 11 Toyota short on fuel, necessitating the late pit stop that dashed his hopes for a top-three finish.
Despite leading 53 laps and earning 44 points—the fourth-most among all drivers—Hamlin’s strong performance was overshadowed by the pit road error .
Reflecting on the incident, he stated, “You can’t change the result, you have to live with it. They’re the pros. I’m not a pit guy. We had a great car, fun battling up front. It was a heck of a battle, would’ve loved to have seen it through, but we didn’t get enough gas in it and had to come back in” .
This race continues a challenging month for Hamlin, who also finished 21st at Talladega and failed to finish at both Texas and Kansas. He summarized his recent performances by saying, “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” .
As the NASCAR season progresses, Hamlin and his team will aim to rectify these issues and capitalize on their car’s speed to secure better finishes in upcoming races.
