Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin have never been the best of friends. Their on-track battles have been heated as much as entertaining. Their most notable on-track battle surfaced in 2017 when Hamlin wrecked Elliott at Martinsville, costing him a Championship 4 spot. Elliott went ahead to return the favor at Phoenix, sending Hamlin into the wall. However, over time, their rivalry cooled, but the 2025 Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray reignited it.
During the Sunday night feature, the two stars went head-to-head for the win. While Elliott controlled most of the race, Hamlin’s efforts troubled him a lot. Their battle showcased skill, strategy, and a bit of old-fashioned rivalry. Despite Hamlin’s efforts, Elliott won the race and started his season on a very high note. However, after the hard-fought battle, Elliott revealed how a gamble under pressure helped him to win the race.
Chase Elliott recalls his Bowman Gray fear
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Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott entered the Clash weekend as a top contender. On Saturday, he dominated The Madhouse by winning his heat and securing pole position for the 200-lap main event. On Sunday, Elliott controlled the race, leading for more than half the distance. But as the laps ticked by, he felt the heat from Hamlin and Tyler Reddick. Elliott feared that losing control would make it difficult to regain the lead. However, a bold move during the break paved his path to the victory lane.
Speaking in a post-race press conference, Elliott said, “Honestly, felt like there at the end of the first hundred that Denny and Tyler had gotten better than us. Was kind of afraid if we lost control, it was going to be hard to get it back. Alan made some good adjustments there at the break. We were able to get back to 2nd. I felt like I needed to take my shot and try to get the lead. If it worked out, great. If Denny got me back, then so be it. I just felt like my best chance to win was to try to get control of the race in that moment.”
That decision proved to be the turning point. Early in the second half, Hamlin briefly stole the lead, forcing Elliott into chase mode. But the No. 9 driver wasted no time. His move not only cemented his victory but also pushed Hamlin back into third place. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who had shown early dominance, was now struggling to keep pace. Speaking about his struggles, Hamlin admitted that his early flares faded in the second half of the race.
“It’s just as it goes on, it just seems like I lose a little bit of the juice that I had. Certainly, I felt like in the first half I could just kind of maneuver anywhere I wanted to go. I don’t know, I just got to get a little better and figure out just what kind makes this thing go and what makes it go for the entire race, not just the beginning,” Hamlin told media.
It’s worth noting that Hamlin started the 2025 Clash as defending champion. His performance in 25-lap heats had positioned him in the second row. Starting at one of the favorable positions, Hamlin managed to overtake him for 28 laps. However, Elliott reclaimed the lead after a crucial restart on lap 123. From that point on, Hamlin’s struggles became evident. He not only lost to Elliott but was also passed by Ryan Blaney, finishing in third place.
Meanwhile, this win was very significant for Elliott. It marked his first Clash win and made him the 26th driver to claim the prestigious trophy. He also joined his father, Bill Elliott, on the prestigious list who had won the iconic preseason race in 1987. As the season opener Daytona 500 approaches, Chase will be keen to continue his winning momentum.
Denny Hamlin’s concerns over sponsorship challenges
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Denny Hamlin has been a fixture in NASCAR for nearly two decades. Throughout his career, his partnership with FedEx has been one of the longest-running sponsorship deals in the sport. But now, that stability is gone. FedEx, which had backed his No. 11 car since 2006, has officially pulled out. What’s more concerning is that Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing are struggling to find a new primary sponsor. Now, many believe that the sponsorship struggle might lead to Hamlin’s departure from JGR.
At Bowman Gray, Hamlin opened up about the growing concern. “I mean, it is tough out there. Sponsorship is hard to come by, and certainly, while it is such an important time in our sport to recognize that sponsorship dollars are not flowing like they used to… Certainly, having one sponsor for 20 years made things pretty easy, and now it is all catching up,” Hamlin admitted.
Notably, sponsorship troubles are nothing new for JGR. In 2022, the team faced similar challenges when Kyle Busch’s sponsor M&M decided to pull away. Despite efforts to find a replacement, they couldn’t secure a deal, ultimately forcing Busch to leave for Richard Childress Racing. Many NASCAR experts and fans believe that Hamlin might be on the same path.
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Adding to Hamlin’s worries, his longtime crew chief, Chris Gabehart, recently stepped into a new role at JGR as the director of competition. Chris Gayle has taken over as his crew chief, marking another shift in Hamlin’s Cup Series career. These factors make 2025 a pivotal year for the veteran driver. What do you think? Will Denny Hamlin get a permanent sponsor?