Denny Hamlin isn’t new to clutch moments, but his win at World Wide Technology Raceway carried a little extra drama. In a race defined by strategy, fuel mileage, and late-race nerves, Hamlin once again proved why he’s one of NASCAR’s most calculated closers. With teammate Chase Briscoe right behind him, Hamlin’s three-wide move on the final restart sealed a 1-2 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing.
But as smooth as the result looked on paper, the path to Victory Lane was far from stress-free inside the pit box. Behind the scenes, Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gayle, admitted that one rival in particular had them sweating bullets. And it wasn’t Briscoe. It was Joey Logano, whose presence forced JGR into a bold call that could’ve decided it all.
Joey Logano’s threat forces bold gamble from JGR at Gateway
Starting from the pole, Hamlin led a race-high 75 laps of the Enjoy Illinois 300 at the World Wide Technology Raceway. With under 10 laps to go, he appeared firmly in control, pulling ahead by nearly two seconds before eventually beating teammate Chase Briscoe by 1.6 seconds after a late-race caution. And when asked what might have happened if the race had stayed green, Crew chief Chris Gayle said in a post-race conference: “I think the result would have been the same, right?”
But inside the pit box, things weren’t nearly as comfortable. “I was concerned with the 22 was so close to us, right?” Gayle admitted, pointing directly at Joey Logano. During the Lap 209 caution, Logano stayed out with Denny Hamlin and a handful of others, keeping himself in a position to strike. The worry wasn’t just Logano’s speed. Rather, it was his ability to short-pit and seize control of the race. “I was mostly worried about the 22, and I knew I had a couple laps on the nine to cover him for a short pit,” Gayle explained. That threat forced JGR’s hand.
Gayle made the call to pit Hamlin two or three laps earlier than he ideally wanted, i.e., on lap 196, when Hamlin was in the lead. “So, I probably pitted two, three laps sooner than I wanted to necessarily if I knew it was going to run out green,” he said. “But you couldn’t risk the 22 getting in front of you, then controlling the air at that point.”
Logano’s ability to dictate track position was too big a gamble to leave unchecked, even if it meant compressing strategy. In the end, Hamlin had the pace to seal the deal either way, and now, the 44-year-old finds himself seated comfortably in the Round of 12 with his fifth win of the season. But Gayle’s admission makes it clear. This win wasn’t just about raw speed. It was about neutralizing the shadow of Joey Logano before it became a nightmare.
Joey Logano bolsters playoff standing
From the drop of the green flag, the No. 22 Ford looked dialed in. Crew chief Paul Wolfe once again showed why he’s a three-time title winner, nailing strategy and keeping Logano in position all afternoon. After banking eight crucial stage points in Stage 2, Logano found himself in contention for the win during the green-flag pit cycle. A potential fuel-mileage gamble was erased when Ty Dillon’s brake rotor exploded with 32 laps left, setting up a dash to the checkers.
Logano lined up with Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe in prime territory. On the final restart, though, he slipped just enough to lose ground to Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, settling for a fifth-place finish. Still, the result marked his fourth top-five of the season and second straight on a short, flat track, echoing his fourth-place run at Richmond. Both results serve as positive momentum ahead of Phoenix, the track where the title will be decided.
“I thought we had a shot at it and did a good job as a team and put ourselves in position,” Logano reflected. “We did a good job executing today. Wish it was a win, but overall another top five at St. Louis is good and we will take that and move on.” With Bristol looming, Logano’s strong Gateway showing flipped the script. From under the cutline to comfortably above it with a 21-point cushion, the No. 22 is awake. And suddenly dangerous again.