“Murphy’s Law Is Very Real”: Denny Hamlin’s Ex-NFL Pit Crew Member Reflects on Clutch Darlington Pitstop

Neha Dwivedi | 07/04/2025
NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) makes a pit stop during the Brickyard 400, Sunday, July 21, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

While William Byron held sway over most of the race, leading 243 laps and sweeping the first two stages, the narrative shifted during the green-flag pit stops in the final stage. Denny Hamlin, who dove into the pits for fresh tires, managed to overtake Byron thanks to his #11 pit crew’s execution.

The crew executed a pit stop in just 9.42 seconds, pushing Hamlin into the lead just before overtime at the track. Bozi Tatarevic, a seasoned racing mechanic, noted that the #11 crew performed a four-tire change in approximately 8.3 seconds. In fact, Hamlin’s dash cam revealed a snag with the right front of the #11 Toyota.

However, working in quick coordination, Hamlin’s crew member, Joel, didn’t lower the car when he noticed that Austin [another #11 pit crew member] was struggling to secure the wheel. Instead, Joel gave the jack an extra pump to provide more space for the tire to fit properly, averting the risk of a loose wheel and ensuring Hamlin could exit the pit road without delay.

After that, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver took care of the rest, surging ahead during the final two-lap sprint to the finish.

Joel Bouagnon, Hamlin’s jackman, and former Green Bay player, reflecting on the intense pressure of executing a flawless pit stop, commented, “It took, I’d say every bit of the off-season [to reach the level they are at], but NASCAR like pit road – It’s a place where Murphy’s Law is very real… Like, okay, you could do it out of practice a million times, and you’re good. Then you get to pit road, and it’s just like bullets start flying.”

He described the chaos of pit road as a place where the engine roars drown out all other sounds. He explained that on the pit road, it feels like the cars are flying by. And in that atmosphere, with top drivers itching to get back on track as quickly as possible, the pressure is immense.

Acknowledging that there’s still room for improvement, he mentioned that while they are not perfect yet, the team is continuously striving to evolve. The entire #11 pit crew is committed to sharpening their skills and getting better each race.

Hamlin also praised his crew’s performance, acknowledging their role in his recent victories. “The pit crew just did an amazing job there,” Hamlin remarked after moving into P11 place on the all-time Cup Series win list with his latest win on Sunday. “They won it for us last week; they won it for us again this week. It’s all about them.”

Denny Hamlin even made a post on his official X-handle with his pit crew, mentioning, “This pit crew gets to hoist the trophy today.”

Next up, Hamlin and his team will hit the track at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he boasts an average finish of 13.3, including four victories and twelve top-5 finishes. It will be fascinating to see if he can win back-to-back wins next weekend, emulating the feat [of winning three back-to-back races in the Next Gen car] achieved by his JGR teammate Christopher Bell a few weeks ago.

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal
Denny Hamlin

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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