Denny Hamlin finds himself in a precarious position as the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs continue. Despite being one of the final eight championship contenders, Hamlin's pursuit for his first series title is being undermined by inconsistent performances. This situation has grabbed the attention of Kevin Harvick, a retired NASCAR champion and current commentator, who has questioned Hamlin's focus during this crucial stage of the season.
Hamlin, a driver with more than two decades of experience in NASCAR, is well-known for his strong driving performance. However, the elusive Cup Series championship remains a target, adding pressure as he navigates yet another playoff stint.
Since the start of the 2024 playoffs, Hamlin and his No. 11 team have faced numerous challenges. Performance issues and poor pit stops have gotten in the way of his season this year. Of particular note is a recurring mistake where Hamlin stopped his car four to five feet short of the box, without any apparent obstructions.
Harvick, a former champion himself, has highlighted these issues on his "Happy Hour" podcast. In discussing Hamlin's struggles, he said the following:
"It just doesn't seem like they're hitting on all eight cylinders to be able to capitalize on everything. And a lot of that is for whatever reason, it could be a number of things, right.
"It could be all the things happening outside the racetrack for Denny. It could be that the cars aren't as fast. But they definitely aren't as good as they were at the beginning of the year."
Reflecting on his journey thus far, Hamlin admitted his disappointment on his "Actions Detrimental" podcast.
"I'm just kind of disappointed in our playoffs. Certainly, it hasn't been clean, by any means, especially at the racetracks where we know that we've got a chance to contend. It's just been a rough go at it for us.
"Kansas and Vegas, two races — you know, you only get so many of these normal style, cookie-cutter racetracks that we've got in our playoff schedule, and we've had one of them, which was Bristol, and our pit crew was great there. We had a flawless day."
Hamlin's 2024 season began with promise, with three victories within the first 11 races positioning him as a formidable threat for the championship. However, as summer turned to fall, his performance took a downturn. In the 17 races following his last win at Dover in April, Hamlin failed to secure a top finish, placing 24th at Atlanta and 23rd at Watkins Glen. As the playoffs progressed, he managed to improve with five consecutive top 15 finishes, yet he remains 27 points below the cut line as the Homestead race approaches.
"Even like this pit stop right there, you can see the orange line on the ground," Harvick said. "I mean, that's four to five feet from where you're supposed to stop. There's nobody in front of you on this particular pit stop. And we heard [crew chief] Chris Gabehart address this because Denny did this multiple times.
"The only reason I point out this particular part of what we're seeing right here out, because you talk about being a little bit out of sync. And sometimes when you're just out of sync, all those little details start to add up into one thing after another.
"Obviously, that's not leaving the tire loose that got left loose on this particular pit stop. And he had to back up on one of them for the same scenario to tighten the left rear tire."
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