The playoffs curse is back haunting Denny Hamlin at the road course of Watkins Glen International. After a bitter end to his start of the playoffs at Atlanta, the veteran driver is now finding it hard to navigate his way through the turns at the Glen.
Now the 2.45-mile road course is a tricky venue, especially with the changes made to the racetrack. Going into the practice run, Denny Hamlin misjudged a corner and locked his tires, causing him to spin and slide across the racing surface. Trying his best to overcome the spin, Hamlin overcorrected and went off the track, hitting hard on the brakes.
It was indeed a close call for the driver, who missed the walls and managed to keep his car from incurring any damage. Last weekend’s race in Atlanta was nothing short of a nightmare for Hamlin. He started at the tail end of the field for unapproved adjustments after a dismal qualification. And ended the race being involved in a big pile-up.
All he needs is a clean and solid points day from this Sunday’s event, but for some reason, the #11 team can’t seem to keep themselves away from trouble. Fortunately, the JGR driver was able to recover from this mishap and was able to complete his practice run inside the top 5 places.
However, the mere slip from Hamlin was enough for the race fans to get on his case. Soon a barrage of messages flooded social media, questioning Hamlin’s credibility as a playoff driver. Some even predicted a detrimental outcome after the end of first round in the playoffs.
Playoff trouble continues for Denny Hamlin and the #11 team
Given the strong start the veteran driver had to his 2024 campaign with three wins, there was this feeling about him breaking his duck to win the title. However, since the mid-season Olympic break, Hamlin has turned the corner for the worse. Forget about competing for wins, he has found himself getting caught up in a wreck or running at the tail end of the field in his last three races. Given his reputation, even the simplest of mistakes lead to massive outrage, and this was evident from this fan’s reaction. “Still his year?”
So close, but so far has often been the case for Hamlin during his playoffs run. However, in the Next Gen era, it seems like he’s never come across as a real contender. If we are to take an account of his win in the regular season compared to the playoffs, it paints a grim picture. In his last two playoffs runs, he has only managed to score a single win. Therefore, this fan wasn’t surprised to see Hamlin feeling the nerves this time around. “Playoff Hamlin is doing Playoff Hamlin things.”
Not all the trouble has been the making of the driver or his team. Just before the start of the playoffs, NASCAR issued L2 penalties on the #11 team for violating engine inspection guidelines. This resulted in the docking of 75 owner and driver points, and they also lost out on those crucial 10 bonus points. This certainly was the start of his dismal run, and since then they haven’t managed to bounce back. “Man, this is rough. What has happened to the 11 team since that engine rebuild penalty.”
Hamlin did receive a lot of heat last week after making a controversial remark on Kyle Petty’s assessment of his Atlanta race. The JGR driver argued that his strategy to run back intentionally was based on data and analytics. “So, data and analytics, while I understand it wasn’t around back in his (Kyle Petty) day, it is now, and if you’re not using it, then you’re a dinosaur.” And it did come to bite him in the back, “The analytics told him to just ride in the back and spin out.” A fan wrote over him spinning during the practice.
Just 2 points above the cutline, and his buffer of the bonus points chalked off by NASCAR Hamlin is indeed in a tight spot. One good race could keep him afloat in the playoffs, while a subpar outing might lead to his exit. He does have two races to overturn his fortunes, but this fan wasn’t optimistic about his playoff run. “he might end up being a first round exit this year.”
Given that one of the upcoming two races is at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hamlin’s chances to advance to the next round are open. But a solid run at Watkins Glen would only help his cause.
