Denny Hamlin’s quest for a maiden Cup Series championship win seems to be under threat yet again. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is 27 points behind the cutline with just a couple of races remaining. However, he is still the closest to the cutline (27 points behind) out of all the drivers outside of the bubble.
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The #11 driver had a poor pitstop in South Point 400 last weekend which majorly compromised his evening and was only able to muster a P8 finish.
Heading into the next race at Homestead-Miami, the JGR driver has two options. He can either win his way into the playoffs or take as many points as possible. The same is true for 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick who is 30 points below the cutline.
However, for the other two in the mix — reigning champion Ryan Blaney and 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott — it is a must-win scenario as they’re 47 and 53 points behind the cutline after Vegas.
“If you want to talk about must-win, it’s got to be Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney. And if you’re gonna talk about must run top three in every stage and the race for the next two weeks, it’s me and Reddick. No exceptions. If you don’t run in the top three every stage – that’s four stages – and the race, there’s no way we make up that kind of ground,” he said on his podcast.
That sounds a lot tougher to do than going out there and just winning a race. The 43-year-old will give it everything he has in the next couple of races. He knows that he can win one of the next two races but his form just isn’t there at the moment. The #11 team didn’t do him any favors either with the slow stop in Vegas. That’s a problem they’ve encountered multiple times this year.
Hamlin previews Homestead, Martinsville fixtures
Between Homestead and Martinsville, Hamlin believes he has a better shot at winning the race at the former. Yes, it is Kyle Larson’s stomping ground but at least drivers know what to expect.
That cannot be said for the short track fixture which follows. NASCAR and Goodyear will introduce an option tire for the race at Martinsville and most drivers have no idea how the new compound will run.
“The one thing about Homestead is it’s not an alternate strategy type of race so you’re going to come in and take four tires every time you come to pit road. That is a track where you could…if you’re upfront and dominating, you could just stay there all day long.”
“Martinsville, you do get some varying strategies there because…we have a new tire there that’s going to change everything,” Hamlin added.
Qualifying will be important for the Homestead race if Hamlin’s assessment is true. That will give him the boost needed to go for the win in Miami. However, his team will have to back him up and not drag him down with slow stops. The Martinsville race is just one big unknown that everyone will be quite excited about when its time comes.
