Denny Hamlin exited Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway early after engine failure struck at Lap 75 of the 271-lap contest.
The No. 11 Toyota erupted in flames entering Turn 1, triggering a long slide through Turns 1 and 2 and resulting in a dramatic end to Hamlin’s event. Hamlin nursed the vehicle to a halt on the backstretch as black smoke poured from the car. Hamlin climbed from the machine under his own power and walked to the ambulance for the mandatory trip to the infield care center, where he was evaluated and released.
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“It missed for like three-quarters of a lap,” Hamlin told FOX Sports. “But other than that, no (warning), nothing. They’ll take it back and look at it.”
The No. 11 Toyota was off the pace for that portion of the lap in an attempt to get the car to the attention of the crew. His engine, unfortunately, had other plans, and Hamlin finished last in the 38-car field.
“I didn’t want to let it try to blow all the way, that way, we could at least take a look at it, try to figure it out,” Hamlin said. “If you detonate them hard, then it’s really hard for the manufacturer to figure out exactly what broke first. But usually, the way it blew up, they’ll be able to find out.”
Hamlin was running outside the top 20 after an early radio miscue disrupted the No. 11 team’s pit strategy. When all others hit pit road under caution on Lap 22, Hamlin stayed out after confusion over a code word. After a discussion with crew chief Chris Gayle, the team decided to pit before the race resumed and restarted from the tail of the field in 36th place.
Hamlin worked his way back to 25th place before the engine expired.
Hamlin absorbed his first DNF of 2025, ending a 21-race stretch of lead-lap finishes that began in the 2024 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
“I’m not really sure,” Hamlin said when asked if there was a pattern or trend to his engine ailment. “I’ve had blown engines in two or three seasons in a row now where we didn’t have any issues several years prior to that. Just trying to develop I’m guessing and trying to get more. Certainly, we feel like we need to get a bit more power but this was unexpected for us.”