It's been a rocky few weeks for Denny Hamlin, who was open in discussing why he and the team aren't on their 'A-game' during this critical stage of the 2024 playoffs.
Hamlin, the winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history without a title, currently sits fifth of eight, 27 points below the cut-line. At Vegas, a fuel gamble allowed him to snag a top-ten finish that helped to limit the impact, but it was still an off day for Hamlin.
He hasn't won during the playoffs yet, and unless "one or two of the guys up front stub their toe," there likely isn't a path for him to advance on points. So what's going on with the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team and is it time for a change on the pit crew roster?
"No, you ride with the group you got," said Hamlin in a Saturday media availability. "They're certainly in a slump, for sure. But, we got to ride it out and feel like that’s the best group we can put on pit road. And certainly, it’s not due to talent or anything like that. They have all the keys they need for that. They were the best pit crew for the first quarter of this year.
"But, certainly, it’s been a lot of different issues on pit road. Pretty much most times we come down (pit road), it’s been different things, so can’t really pinpoint one consistent problem we’ve had. So, just have to see where it goes.”
Lacking the speed
Compounding the issue is the fact that Hamlin isn't as fast we'd expect him to be. The car seems slightly off, which makes rebounding from such mistakes a much bigger challenge.
"We’re not leading laps," explained Hamlin, who has led just five laps through the first seven races of the playoffs. But that's not the only factor, according to the veteran driver.
"That's definitely an indicator of speed. We haven’t done that over the last several weeks, certainly. You know, I don’t know. Again, I think some of it is schedule. We've had three of these typical ovals we’ve had in the series – Bristol is one of them we’ve ran top-three all day. Kansas, every time we got right at the lead, we had a bad pit stop. And then, (Las) Vegas, obviously, was just wheels came off on that one. And that’s been seven weeks' worth. You have the road courses. I’m not going to lead a bunch of laps there. Not going to show a ton of speed there. And then the superspeedways. So, it just feels like forever."
But it's important to realize that despite all of these issues, Hamlin is still in contention. Half of the playoff field has been eliminated but the No. 11 remains, as Hamlin himself points out: "...We still have a chance, even this late in the game.”
