Denny Hamlin reacts to Shane van Gisbergen impressive oval performance, surprised by Richmond approach

Prior to the race at Richmond, Shane van Gisbergen credited Denny Hamlin with having an interesting approach to the ovals. It was one he took a lot from en route to a P14 finish, his best ever on an oval.

The driver of the No. 88 car noted how Hamlin will use a different gear than most and then stab on the throttle. It was a technique that van Gisbergen put to use on Saturday, as well as some deviations from other drivers in terms of the line he was running.

“That’s cool to see,” Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast. “Usually when you’re trying to learn you just kind of well, I just kind of run behind everyone else and kind of figure this thing out. And he figured out pretty quickly that, ‘I’m just going to go somewhere else.’ Very innovative of him.”

Shane van Gisbergen quietly worked his way into position all night, wrapping up his best finish on an oval. He had also finished 14th at Charlotte earlier in the year.

Hamlin was impressed by the ingenuity of van Gisbergen’s approach, which put him into that favorable position. It wasn’t one many other drivers followed.

“I haven’t seen that line around that racetrack in quite some time,” Hamlin said. “I was actually paranoid of it chewing up the tires. Usually when you run on cool asphalt, clean asphalt like that it will chew up the tires quicker than what it will be if you run down on the bottom. But he was making it work well.”

Shane van Gisbergen more than held his own. His P14 finish was a very encouraging sign as the playoffs approach.

“That was fun! A good recovery and great result in my first Cup start at Richmond,” Shane van Gisbergen said, per NBC Sports’ Nate Ryan. “Tire strategy was huge tonight and my No. 88 team did an awesome job executing. Some good momentum for us as we get closer to the playoffs. Looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish at Daytona.”