The NASCAR world eagerly awaits to see how Denny Hamlin fares at the Phoenix Raceway this Sunday. Should he win, he will finally end the championship curse that has followed him around throughout his career. But one cannot ignore the possibility that he could also lose.
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Not ending the weekend with a Championship would be gut-wrenching for Hamlin, who will once again find himself at square one, likely with no further opportunities to get into the final 4. One can only imagine how nervous he’d be feeling before the action begins. But no matter what happens, NASCAR veteran Steve Letarte hopes for just one thing.
“If he’s unable to do it, I hope he is unable to do it on his own accord,” Letarte said on NASCAR: Inside the Race, hinting that he wants Hamlin to simply be at his 100% best.
Letarte doesn’t want the Joe Gibbs Racing star to fall prey to issues in his car or in his pit crew. He said, “If he’s unable to do it, I hope he is unable to do it on his own accord. I hope it’s not a pit stop or a mechanical gremlin. We saw a throttle at Talladega, a broken engine today.”
“Like, all I want Danny Hamlin to be delivered is to be on the front row or the front two rows of the final restart with a car that should or could be able to win the championship. I just want to see him and his talents on display.”
After a chase of two decades, the last thing that anyone wants to see is Hamlin losing out on the championship because of a flat tire or a pit gun gone wrong. Even those who hate him would agree that he has contributed too much to the sport not to have a proper shot at winning the title.
Letarte stated the same and added that he wanted the same for the two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch as well. Busch’s performances have waned in recent times, and people are starting to forget how good he once was
Letarte further quipped, “I want Kyle Busch to have that Jeff Gordon wins at Martinsville moment, or I want Kyle Busch one more time at least to stand there on the front stretch and remind himself how great he was. And I think for Denny Hamlin, he’s kind of there. He’s at his peak. And I think to be at your peak, I’d love to see him at least have a chance, like I said, of his own accord.
At 44 years old, Hamlin doesn’t have a lot of shots left in his gun. Retirement is already starting to peek, and this might be one of his last best opportunities to win the title. Hopefully, the racing gods favor him at this junction and make him a NASCAR Cup Series champion.
