Denny Hamlin has been largely inconsistent since the onset of the playoffs. Despite high expectations from fans and insiders, he has only managed to bring in top-10 finishes and the occasional top-5 finish. This trend continued in Homestead-Miami on Sunday. Starting from fourth place, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver showed flashes of his potential and led 21 laps.
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He accumulated 48 points by finishing Stage 1 in seventh and winning Stage 2. However, a prolonged pit stop in Stage 3 set him back a massive 14.5 seconds behind Ryan Blaney. In a desperate move to regain ground, Hamlin grazed the wall on Lap 245. But he held himself and quickly advanced from sixth to fourth.
In the final lap, as he was positioning for a possible win, Tyler Reddick executed an incredible pass and snatched the victory from him and Blaney. He finished the race in third place. Missing out on victory lane adds further pressure on him heading to Martinsville. He now sits 18 points below the elimination line and has a lot to make up for. Fortunately, he has the confidence of his crew chief.
Chris Gabehart said after the race, “We’re not where we want to be but we’re certainly within striking distance. 18 behind at Martinsville … You won’t know until you get into the race for a lot of degrees. So, you know we’re all on offense. You know the two in front of us have got some defense to play and I’d rather be on offense in this situation.”
He recalled last year’s race when Hamlin nearly made up for the deficit by almost winning the Martinsville race before Ryan Blaney beat him to the checkered flag. The fact that Kyle Larson and William Byron are in defensive positions adds further confidence to Gabehart.
Hamlin reflects on his narrow miss at Homestead
Hamlin shared a candor moment during a post-race interview at Homestead, where he voiced his frustrations about the winning moment that slipped through his fingers. He admitted, “I tried to cover all lanes, but just couldn’t quite get off the corner as good as I needed to on that short run.”
Despite the best support from his JGR team, he conceded that he fell short in sealing the deal. “To control the race, two to go you have to find a way to finish it, and it just didn’t,” he said.
As the No. 11 team prepares for the upcoming race with their current standing in the playoffs, it will be compelling to see how they pivot their approach to claim a victory.
