Denny Hamlin remains confident heading into Bristol, despite being six points below the NASCAR Playoffs cutline and finishing outside the top-20 once again. Hamlin encountered several setbacks during his race at Watkins Glen.
Hamlin played it safe at Atlanta, but the strategy didn’t work out. At Watkins Glen, he had a poor qualifying performance, starting mid-pack, where trouble soon followed. Disaster struck on Lap 1 when his car sustained heavy damage, though he managed to continue.
Throughout the race, Hamlin caught a few breaks but was involved in another wreck before the end. He eventually got the lucky dog and made it back on the lead lap, salvaging what he could from the day.
Afterward, Hamlin spoke with FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, taking responsibility for his qualifying position and acknowledging the difficulties that followed. “I put us in a bad spot with qualifying, so I can’t complain,” Hamlin said. “That’s where crashes happen.”
While Hamlin couldn’t see the full incident, he had a good idea of what occurred. “It was a jam-up,” he explained, noting how the rumble strips can cause issues on that part of the track.
Despite the setbacks, Hamlin expressed confidence about Bristol, where he’s won the last two Cup Series races. “We should be pretty confident,” Hamlin said. “I can’t remember the last time we didn’t have a race-winning car there.”
The No. 11 team will head to Bristol with finishes of P24 and P23 in their last two races. While Bristol is tough, it’s also a track where Hamlin has historically dominated.
In the Next Gen era, Hamlin has consistently performed well at Bristol, with solid qualifying and finishing positions. He’s started P4, P2, and P3 from 2022-2024, with finishes of P9, P1, and P1.
As Hamlin prepares for Bristol, it will be interesting to see how his confidence holds. He goes into the race six points below the cutline, but with a strong track record there.
