Via FedEx Racing

Denny Hamlin finished 34th in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, suffering a blown engine in the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota after 57 of 90 laps at the 2.4-mile road course event won by Marcos Ambrose.

Hamlin started 23rd and steadily worked his way up through the field in the opening 30-lap stint. The team was hoping to make the scheduled distance in just two pit stops, and crew chief Darian Grubb called for a spring rubber adjustment during the team’s first stop to help a tight condition on the right-hand turns.

The car came to life during the race’s midpoint, with Hamlin moving into the top-10 just before his second stop. However, the engine let go in the #11 machine and forced the team to retire from the race.

“It’s a big disappointment for this FedEx team, but it was our first engine failure of the season,” said Hamlin, following the race. “We took a little bit of a hit in the points, but luckily we have those two wins for the Chase.”

The finish dropped Hamlin two spots to 10th in the NASCAR standings following Watkins Glen, 84 points behind new leader Jimmie Johnson after 22 of 26 regular season races.

NASCAR returns to action at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 19.