The postseason has been really favorable for Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin as he hopes to make the final four later this year and possibly win his first-ever Cup Series championship. While the championship finale is still a couple of races away, the focus now remains on the two races ahead of the next round of eliminations.
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Recently, while speaking on his podcast, Dirty Mo Dough, former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief and NASCAR insider Steve Letarte speculated what strategy Hamlin could possibly opt for heading into this Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Steve Letarte speculates on Denny Hamlin’s strategy for Talladega
During this conversation, he brought up Hamlin’s name and mentioned, “So Hamlin, I think if he’s running eight. So look, let me be clear. If he’s in the front, five or six cars, he ain’t worried about points. He’s gonna try to win the race.”
“But when he gets parked around 11th, because if something happens or whatever, he is not going to wreck for 12th. He’s going to score some points to get out of Talladega on to the next round.”
That would be an interesting strategy prediction for Hamlin, especially considering how well he has been throughout the postseason. Surely, if he gets caught up in a wreck or something, he would rather opt for points since he still has the Charlotte Roval race left before the eliminations. Moreover, he currently sits in second place in the championship standings, so Hamlin could choose to either go for the win or play it safe as stated by Letarte.
Can Hamlin win at Talladega despite starting outside of the top 10?
Just by taking a look at the numbers, one could ascertain that Talladega has been a favorable place for Hamlin. Aside from the moments he wrecked out, he does hold two wins at this race track. However, after a 12th-place qualifying result with a time of 53.021, can he move past the competition and run for victory?
The thing about superspeedways is that qualifying does not really guarantee a win. However, it is always better to stay out of the midfield in case a big one occurs. Despite starting outside of the top 10, there is a good chance for Hamlin to make his way to the front of the field.
Judging by his playoff performance, one could assume he might have the chance, but again, just because the JGR cars did well on short tracks does not mean that they would ace the superspeedways.
