As we get ready for some Monday afternoon NASCAR racing, it is worth noting that Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain are sharing a starting row. The Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway was pushed back from Sunday to today due to weather. Now NASCAR officials might have to worry about sparks flying on the track.
Everyone knows the deal between Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain at this point. Chastain is the young guy that drives wreckless at times and gets results. Hamlin is the veteran who has been there and done that and wants the respect he believes he has earned.
It has turned into quite a rivalry. Although it does feel a little one-sided in many ways. It is a rivalry in the way the Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner are rivals, with Hamlin often left running off a cliff with nothing but an “OOPS” sign to hold up before he plummets.
Ross Chastain will start P14 just behind Denny Hamlin on Row 7. Hamlin will also have to deal with the fact that Daniel Suárez is right behind Chastain. Those Trackhouse guys might give him some fits in this race.
Denny has already lost $50,000 this season due to the rivalry. So, can we expect these drivers to keep it clean on the track? The Monster Mile will be a green, slick track after all the rain. It might just be a matter of time before the 11 and 1 collide.
Denny Hamlin hopes to win on another Monday
The only good thing for Denny Hamlin ahead of the green flag, it is Monday. It just turns out that Hamlin is the winningest driver on Monday afternoon. Since 2008, Hamlin has had four wins on the first day of the week.
Looking back on his record, it is very impressive how well he has done in these delayed races. His four wins have all come at four different tracks. He pulled off a win at Pocono in 2009, did it twice in 2010 at Texas and Martinsville, and in 2020 he won the Daytona 500 on a Monday.
This is the second year in a row that Dover has gone to the Monday after. So, it is becoming a bit of a thing now. Last year it was Chase Elliott that took the win. Elliott will be trying to win this year as well, he needs a checkered flag to make the playoffs.
If Denny Hamlin can get a fifth win on Monday, then that is another aspect of his career and record that you can’t ignore. At the very least, it is a fun fact about one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.