NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin has sparked a controversy over Connor Zilisch's Xfinity Series race win at Portland International Speedway. The 19-year-old driver, who recently secured a full-time Cup seat for the 2026 season, had to drive through the A-frame penalty area at Turn 1 after an overtime restart.

Zilisch led the 78-lap race for 70 laps, but the crowded race restart pushed Zilisch to prefer the penalty area. This move caught the attention of Hamlin, who stated that Zilisch did not make an effort to execute Turn 1 and took the easy route to win the race, while several cars made contact behind him. Revealing his views on his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin explained:

"It was very controversial in the way he won it. I guess the uproar is that they feel he didn't

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