[autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] entered the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway with a 17-point deficit but he knew that a win was likely needed to advance. Unfortunately for Hamlin, his biggest competitor, Ryan Blaney, had the best car and cruised to victory at Martinsville. Meanwhile, William Byron squeaked into the final transfer spot over the No. 11 team.
It was a disappointing end for Hamlin as he believed this was his year to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship. Following the race, Hamlin talked about being eliminated from the Round of 8 for the second straight season at Martinsville.
“Man, I just want to get ready and go try to win next week,” Hamlin said. “I still love it so much ’cause every week I feel like I got a shot to win. That’s what fuels my passion, even at my age, to keep doing this, is I’m with the team that I got that gives me such fast cars every week and gives me a chance to continue to pile on those stats before the end of my career. It’s not over by any means. We got a long way to go.”
Repost to congratulate Denny Hamlin on his NASCAR Cup Series WIN at Bristol Motor Speedway! 🗡️🏁 https://t.co/tUEShM1US8 pic.twitter.com/4h4YtChTwy
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 17, 2023
“Really happy about the year in general. I thought substantially faster this year at all racetracks than what we were last year. It’s racing, right? This is the Playoffs. You got a three-race season. The 12 car showed up this round, right? He deserves to be in that Final 4. The performance they had today was phenomenal. I’m just happy for those guys. One more week.”
Hamlin labeled the power steering issue at Homestead-Miami Speedway as the situation that sealed his fate during the 2023 NASCAR season. As previously stated, it was a disappointing ending for the No. 11 team but they still have one more race left to go win before shifting their focus to the 2024 Daytona 500.
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