Denny Hamlin's 700th NASCAR Cup Series start was eventful, to say the least. The veteran driver completed the race at Nashville Superspeedway without any water, a cool shirt, or any cool air in his helmet.
Not having a cool shirt is nothing out of the ordinary for Hamlin, but he started the race with water in his car and air blowing into his helmet. The situation just changed late in the 300-lap race. The air hose stopped blowing cool air into his helmet, and he didn't have water as the final 102 laps went green.
Hamlin had to adapt by lifting the visor on his helmet and trying to get some fresh air on his face as he battled Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney.
"It was hot," Hamlin said on pit road after the race. "I don't run a cool shirt or anything like that, so that's three elements that the other drivers had that I didn't have.
"So yeah, I got hot. Carson Hocevar, the helmet visor up there, to try to get a little air in."
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver still delivered a strong performance despite dealing with these issues. He won the opening stage and finished third in stage 2 to lock up 18 points. He posted the Xfinity Fastest Lap to gain another.
Hamlin led 79 laps before crossing the line in third place. He and Jeff Gordon are the only drivers in NASCAR history to finish third in their 700th start. This is the best mark among all drivers to reach this milestone.
Early on, it appeared that Hamlin could become the first driver to win in their 700th start. He had a car that could contend with Blaney, the race-winner, early on. However, it just didn't have the long-run speed, which forced Hamlin and the No. 11 team to try a different strategy during the final stage.
"Just couldn't run with the 12 there in the super long run," Hamlin said. "After 40 laps, I could maintain with him, but after that, he just pulled away and would stretch it on us. Our best strategy at that point was to go long, and you either catch a caution or another caution comes.
"We all were going to stay out so the lap times don't fall off, and then we got fresher tires. We got jumped by the 77 (Carson Hocevar) and then the track just went through a really weird phase there the last 30 laps where everyone had to pin to the bottom.
"I think there was not enough cars running in the middle, and it threw dust up in that middle and top lane, so it was not an option. It was like ice up there. That definitely hurt the passing."
Hamlin didn't get the finish that he sought at Nashville Superspeedway, but he left the track with crucial points. He is fourth in the Cup Series standings with 13 playoff points, the third-most in the series. He also has a secure spot in the playoffs due to his two wins this season.