Denny Hamlin breaks down what happened in 'Big One' that decimated NASCAR field at Atlanta

Denny Hamlin shared what happened in the “Big One” that took out multiple drivers at the Atlanta NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday night. During the TNT broadcast, Hamlin was asked about what caused the wreck that led to him not finishing the race.

“All of us were in the top line pushing off Turn 2. Some zigged, some zagged, most crashed,” Denny Hamlin said. “I don’t know. I was on the bumper of the 42 (John Hunter Nemechek); he was on the bumper of somebody else in front of him. We all just got to speedway pushing zigging and zagging, and we all crashed. Just part of it, and now we go watch the rest of the race.”

The wreck happened as Stage 2 was beginning. Other drivers involved in the wreck were Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Daniel Suarez, and William Byron, among others. Despite not finishing the race, Hamlin is in a good spot in terms of the standings since he has won three races and has multiple top-10 and top-five finishes this year.

The really bad news for Hamlin is that he won’t advance in the In-Season Tournament. Hamlin entered the race as the No. 1 seed, meaning that he was one of the favorites to win the $1 million prize.

Looking at Denny Hamlin’s history at Atlanta

When it comes to Hamlin’s history at Atlanta, he has had an interesting run. The 44-year-old has won at the track once, which was in 2012. He has earned multiple top-10 and top-five finishes, including in February when he finished sixth.

Speaking of the February race, Hamlin talked about how he was surprised by the lack of wrecks due to the challenges the track presents. “I couldn’t believe we didn’t wreck. Like, a front of the field wreck, you know, that took out 10 cars,” Hamlin said, with disbelief in his voice, via his Actions Detrimental podcast at the time. “I’m telling you, I was in the middle of three-wide, on the outside of three-wide. I mean, the hats off to the drivers. These Cup Series drivers are so good. It’s amazing how much better they have gotten over the last 10 years. I mean, we’re running right on top of each other. There is no room for error. 

“You know, we do make mistakes, you know, quite often, and that’s, you know — most of the wrecks came from somebody making a mistake. You know, running into another, and somebody else gets caught in it. That stuff happens. It’s amazing we don’t do it more often. It’s amazing it’s not caution after caution after caution. We were racing all out. Everybody, in the start of the third stage, everybody was racing 100%. It was like, ‘Whoa,’ I mean, usually — I’ve seen this thing evolve over time, that you don’t really get that until like, it used to be you didn’t get that until 15 laps to go at the other speedways.”