Denny Hamlin’s frustrations boiled over after the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Round of 12 opener at Kansas Speedway, as a series of disastrous pit stops by his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) crew derailed his shot at victory, allowing Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain to steal the win. Hamlin, a seasoned veteran and co-owner of 23XI Racing, finished a disappointing P8 after consistently being forced to battle from deep in the pack due to multiple pit-road mishaps.
Hamlin didn’t mince words when addressing the performance of his crew, which had established itself as one of the best in NASCAR’s Next-Gen era, only to suffer one of its worst days yet. Speaking after the race, Hamlin made it clear just how damaging the errors were.
“They know that today was one of their worst days ever,” Hamlin vented. “They’ll just go work to clean it up. I’ve had some pretty bad days, but this was horrible—just terrible.”
The pit crew’s costly mistakes repeatedly sent Hamlin tumbling outside the top 15, forcing him to claw his way back through the field. One particularly brutal blow was a loose wheel, which Hamlin noted had him battling from far back in the pack, a recurring issue throughout the day.
Hamlin didn’t hold back, emphasizing that the poor pit-road performance not only cost him a potential victory but also left him with just an 11-point cushion going into the next race, instead of a comfortable advancement to the next round of the playoffs.
“It was just a crappy day on pit road, and we didn’t get the finish we deserved. This was a great opportunity to lock ourselves in, and instead, we’re scraping and clawing to finish in the top 10.”
Hamlin was adamant that the race was his to lose, explaining that his car was the fastest on the track. However, his poor restart positions, stemming from his crew’s errors, consistently trapped him mid-pack and prevented him from showcasing his true pace.
“We should have won the race. We had the fastest car, but every time we got to the top three, the caution came out, and we restarted 15th, 20th. You can’t show how fast your car is when you’re at the back of the pack. Eventually, you just run out of laps, and someone else wins.”
Hamlin’s frustration is understandable, given how much was at stake in Kansas, and his determination to rebound will be crucial with two more races left in the Round of 12. As the playoffs heat up, it will be interesting to see if Hamlin’s crew can bounce back and whether this setback will fuel his fight for the championship.
