Deny Hamlin, an experienced driver from Joe Gibbs Racing, had an unfortunate streak of bad luck during the recent race in Phoenix. Despite having one of the most impressive cars on the grid, he failed to deliver a convincing performance. Although he started the season strong by winning the LA Clash, his performance plummeted during the Daytona 500 and has been on a downward trend since then.
During the race in Phoenix, Hamlin started from the pole position and led for over 67 laps. However, with only 100 laps remaining, he found himself in a fierce battle for the lead with a driver from his own team, representing Hamlin’s 23XI Racing team. In his eagerness to take the lead, Hamlin pushed his car beyond the limits, resulting in a loss of control and spinning into the field. He openly admitted that it was his own mistake that led to this unfortunate incident.
Despite this setback, Hamlin managed to make a remarkable recovery and secure a top-10 finish. This performance also marked a significant improvement for Toyota, as all Joe Gibbs Racing cars, including Reddick, led laps during the race. This shows the progress they have made after a disappointing start to the season.
The race in Phoenix was the first event of the 2024 Cup season to feature the new Next-Gen car aerodynamic package, which is still in development. Drivers had 55 minutes of practice time to test the package, but many were dissatisfied with the results. The package did not effectively solve the traffic issues on the short track, as expected.
However, Hamlin had some positive comments about the new package after the race. While acknowledging it was not a perfect solution, he believed it was an improvement compared to the previous package. Hamlin urged the governing body to implement a few more changes to permanently resolve the issue.
In case you missed it, Deny Hamlin’s round during the race was entirely his fault. Despite leading for 68 laps, he finished in 11th place. However, his ability to recover and secure a top-10 showed the progress made by Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing. The race in Phoenix also introduced the new Next-Gen car aerodynamic package, which received mixed reviews from the drivers. Hamlin expressed his belief that additional adjustments are needed to address the ongoing traffic issues on short tracks.
