Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has identified race restarts as his primary weakness, even after a dominant victory at the All-Star Race at Dover.
Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Hamlin acknowledged that late-race shootouts remain a significant challenge this season.
"Speed-wise, if we're turning left and we are on an oval, we are there and we're really fast.
So, no weaknesses other than my restarts. I've got to work on that," Hamlin said.
The veteran driver noted that restart issues have cost him multiple potential victories in recent events.
Hamlin pointed to specific difficulties maintaining pace during short runs and on road courses as areas needing immediate improvement.
"That's something I have got to get better at because these races definitely come down to the shootouts at times.
Getting better in the short run, continuing to get better on the road courses," he explained.
At the AdventHealth 400 in Kansas, Hamlin led 131 of 274 laps but fell to fourth after a late caution by Cody Ware forced overtime.
"Cody Ware, six laps down, wrecking… I don't know. Just add it up," Hamlin said.
He admitted that the restart execution at Kansas allowed rivals to exploit his inside lane positioning.
"I fell for the same move that the 5 got me a couple years ago when I was on the inside.
I gotta learn from those mistakes," he stated.
A similar scenario occurred at Texas Motor Speedway, where Hamlin lost the lead during a four-lap sprint finish.
Chase Elliott won by 0.407 seconds after the final caution.
"Props to the 9 team… I felt it was going to be close if it went green. But I didn't have great restarts today," Hamlin remarked.
At Dover, Hamlin overcame these issues by passing teammate Chase Briscoe on lap 322, but noted that maintaining speed while leading out of turns 1 and 2 remains an obstacle.
"I wasn't great on restarts when I was up front.
My restarts in the back were really good, but up front I just couldn't quite get through Turns 1 and 2 with the speed that I needed," he admitted.
Despite the setbacks, Hamlin highlighted his current form as a career high point. The Dover win marked his third consecutive victory at the venue in the NextGen era.
"If we go back to the last six or seven races of last year, now to the first 12 or so this year, it's competitively my best 20-race stretch in my history of racing," he said.
Hamlin credited solid performances at COTA and Watkins Glen for boosting his championship outlook.
He currently holds 438 regular-season points after 12 races, compared to 346 at the same point last season.
"I felt like I've had a solid COTA and a solid Watkins Glen.
We are putting it all together right now, and certainly we are happy about where things are at," Hamlin concluded.
