Denny Hamlin switched to a must-win mentality after crashing in practice Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, knowing he’ll have to come from the rear of the field in the final elimination race of the playoffs.
Hamlin spun and significantly damaged the rear of his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota when the throttle hung going into Turn 3. It happened about halfway through the 45-minute session after he had, at the time, set the quickest lap. He wound up third overall when the session was completed.
Denny Hamlin will not turn a qualifying lap after crashing in practice.
He’ll face an uphill battle in the elimination race at Martinsville. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/4hN85BH6dS
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 2, 2024
The five-time Martinsville winner said his car was doing everything it needed to do before the crash. He was caught off guard when the car didn’t slow down on its 33rd lap.
“We just got unlucky,” Hamlin said.
A piece of rubber was the culprit that led to the hung throttle.
“[They] sent me a picture and there was a large chunk right in the throttle body that was still sitting there when we pulled in here,” Hamlin said. “I’ve had throttles stick before but never hang all the way wide open. But looking at the way the rubber was in there, the throttle had no chance to come backward.”
Hamlin put his reactions to the test trying to keep from going front-end first into the wall, hitting the pedals as hard as possible and whipping the wheel to the left.
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The No. 11 will not make a qualifying attempt for Sunday’s race as the team repairs the car. Once the damaged car was brought back to the garage, crew chief Chris Gabehart and his team took off the body panels before rolling it through the inspection stations to check on chassis measurements.
The team determined it was repairable and will spend Saturday making it race-ready. Hamlin will start at the rear of the field and the team will not have an ideal pit stall selection.
“It’s hard to win these races straight up, and even if you had the pole, it’s hard to win,” Hamlin said. “Our battle is going to be very much uphill. … Certainly, the chances of getting in on points now are done. We just have to figure out a way to win the race.”
The good news is, Hamlin felt the softer tire was an improvement over what was run at Martinsville in the past. Given that, he’s optimistic that, with a good handling car, a driver can make their way through the field if the race goes green long enough.
He enters Sunday’s race 18 points out of a transfer spot.
“That will be the short-term goal — try to find a way to put some cars between us and the leaders to stay on the lead lap,” Hamlin said. “It will be difficult to do that, but we’ll give it our best shot. We’re not going to give up.”