Denny Hamlin forced to drive without water and clean air during mad Nashville race
Denny Hamlin finished third in Nashville, which was a particularly impressive achievement as the veteran ran without water and clean air due to a helmet issue
Denny Hamlin admitted he was “hot” after surviving without clean air and water due to a malfunctioning helmet at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday.
On Sunday, Ryan Blaney finally claimed his first win of the season. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion has had strong performances, including a third-place finish at Kansas Speedway and a runner-up finish at Martinsville Speedway, but had not secured his first victory of the season until Nashville.
The race featured plenty of interesting moments, with Toyota drivers struggling with mechanical issues while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. warned Carson Hovecar to stop his aggressive driving after their collision. But on a day to remember for Hamlin, he had to navigate some tricky circumstances.
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The Cracker Barrel 400 was Hamlin’s 700th NASCAR Cup Series start. The 44-year-old became the 22nd driver in series history to accomplish the feat, joining Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, who made his 700th career start last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
However, while Hamlin will be pleased with his third-place finish, the Joe Gibbs Racing star had to deal with some frustrating circumstances. He lost his helmet hose, leaving him without circulated air or water.
“I’ve lost my f------ helmet hose… F------ unacceptable,” Hamlin told his team. With no air, Hamlin finished the race with his visor down, which impressed the commentators and fans watching at home.
After sealing a top-three finish, Hamlin was asked about the helmet issue as well as the race as a whole. The veteran admitted he was incredibly warm in the car.
“I got hot. I had to Carson Hocevar with the helmet visor up there to try and get a little air in,” Hamlin said on Prime. “I just couldn’t run with the No. 12 there in the super long run.
“After 40 laps, I could maintain with him but after that he just pulled away and stretched it on us. Our best strategy at that point was to go long, and you either catch a caution or another caution comes, we all are going to stay out because the lap times don’t fall off and then we got fresher tires. But we got jumped by the no. 77.
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“And then the track just went through a really weird phase there. The last 30 laps, everyone had to pin to the bottom. I think there was not enough cars running in the middle, and it threw dust up in that middle and top lane and so it was not an option. It was like ice up there. That definitely hurt the passing.”
Hamlin will hope a fully functional helmet will help him deliver victory in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sun, June 8.
