Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin, is off to a rocky start this season. The veteran NASCAR racer is yet to pocket a single stage point from the first three Cup Series races of his career, a stark contrast to the stellar performances he’s known for. His woes came to a head when he finished outside the top 20 at Daytona and COTA, a disappointing statistic that has shadowed his early season.
Further compounding his troubles, Hamlin found himself at the center of controversy during a race when he wrecked Austin Dillon. The incident not only resulted in Dillon’s early retirement but also disrupted the lead that Kyle Busch had established for Richard Childress Racing, casting a somber tone on their race day.
Never one to hold back, Hamlin attributed his mishap to NASCAR’s multi-billion dollar sponsor’s tires. The question that looms large is whether Hamlin is merely shifting blame or if his claim holds some merit.
Hamlin, 44, was keen to bounce back from his initial missteps and took to the 2.4-mile Circuit of The Americas road course with renewed vigor. Despite qualifying in a decent 11th place, his race was plagued with misfortune from the get-go. A Lap 1, Turn 1 incident triggered by Ross Chastain wreaked havoc on Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota, causing significant damage to his right fender. Hamlin’s day went from bad to worse as he struggled to regain pace and later collided with Austin Dillon.
Turn 6A, ominously dubbed the ‘calamity corner,’ lived up to its name as Hamlin’s tires locked up in that zone, sending him nose-first into Dillon’s No. 3 Chevy. The crash forced Dillon into the gravel and marked the end of his race with a 35th-place finish.
While Hamlin acknowledged his role in the incident, he was quick to point out that the culprit was the tire degradation caused by NASCAR’s 2.6 billion worth partner’s tires.
During an episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin explained, “No, it’s the tire. The tire just has a lot of debris, a lot of rubber shreds off this tire. Which, you know, to kind of pivot here, this is why for the first couple of years of this show, we were always hammering on Goodyear like, ‘We need tire falloff, we need falloff. ’ This is what you get when you have a falloff.”
Interestingly, despite his criticism of Goodyear, Hamlin expressed satisfaction with the tires they provided for COTA. He believes in adding less grip to the tires to enhance their wear and tear, thereby improving the overall racing experience. He further elaborated on this, saying, “Bell had just slightly better tires than Kyle Busch. Chase Elliott charged through the field from 21st in those last 15 laps.”
The incident resulted in a caution that also affected the race leader, Kyle Busch. The two-time Cup Series winner lost his comfortable lead due to the yellow flag which allowed his competitors to close the gap, making his restart a challenge. Busch echoed Hamlin’s sentiment, attributing his fall from the lead to worn-out tires.
Despite his troubles, Hamlin remains optimistic about improving his performance, particularly on road courses. The seasoned driver, with victories at Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 under his belt, admits there’s room for improvement.
“I mean, there were times throughout the race where I felt competitive. I was catching the top 10 cars. I could see them, they were coming back to me. I was running to them. And then there were other times when I was just like, ‘God dang man.’ Just hit a mark for once. It’s a shame because I actually enjoy road course driving, I just wish I was better at it,” Hamlin candidly admitted.
With races in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville on the horizon, Hamlin has ample opportunities to turn his season around. As he approaches the twilight of his career, the 44-year-old is yet to secure the coveted Bill France Cup. Whether he can finally clinch this elusive prize, only time will tell. One thing is certain, after two decades in the sport, it’s crunch time for the veteran racer.
