[autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] entered Watkins Glen International needing a good day after doing close to nothing at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and it was the polar opposite. Hamlin didn’t even make it through Lap 1 before being involved in a wreck that severely impacted his day. Then, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver wrecked again and somehow finished in 23rd place.
Hamlin now sits six points below the playoff cut-line heading into the Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. Following the event, Hamlin talked about his day at Watkins Glen and expressed his confidence about the race at Bristol on Saturday night.
“It sucks because I knew the damage was bad,” Hamlin said. I was really looking forward to this race, believe it or not, because we made some really good adjustments overnight to help with where I felt like we were going to be a little bit off. I wanted to just race and see what my car had. Just never had a chance.”
DENNY HAMLIN CRASHES IN THE ESSES!
Three #NASCARPlayoffs drivers run out of room. pic.twitter.com/uFQc8vn5Zc
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 15, 2024
“Great effort to keep us in it. Obviously, the car is just destroyed. To finish 23rd, I guess is a positive. We were in a worse place that mostly all day and luckily, we had some attrition at the end that helped us out. I feel like we can go [to Bristol] and win…We feel like we control our destiny there.”
Hamlin won the spring race at Bristol, which featured intense tire issues. The driver of the No. 11 car has been out of the picture in the first two Round of 16 races, but this is an opportunity to turn it around. If Hamlin doesn’t, there won’t be a title run in 2024. Hamlin can’t afford to miss out on the Round of 12, and he must race that way next weekend at Bristol.
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