After setting the quickest time early in observe, issues went very unsuitable for Denny Hamlin. The automobile fired off into Flip 3 as a excessive charge of velocity, spinning sideways and backing into the skin wall.
“Caught throttle! F****** caught throttle!” exclaimed Hamlin the radio. There was vital harm to the rear clip of the automobile. Hamlin drove the wounded No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota again to the storage. As he climbed from the automobile, he slammed his helmet down on the roof in frustration.
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry
Picture by: Bozi Tatarevic
The trigger? A bit of rubber reportedly get lodged within the throttle physique. After narrowly lacking out on the win at Homestead, Hamlin enters Martinsville 18 factors beneath the cut-line. It will have been troublesome, however he might have pointed his method in with the advantage of phases, however that path is probably going gone now. Until one thing shocking occurs to the Hendrick Motorsports drivers in entrance of him, a win could also be vital on Sunday.
He won’t participate in qualifying and can begin from the rear of the sphere. And Martinsville is a observe the place passing is troublesome and people within the again are lapped fairly rapidly, so this actually places him behind for Sunday. The staff checked the measurements after which made the choice to make repairs to the first automobile, bringing out the crash cart from the JGR hauler.
Hamlin was the primary driver to overlook out on the ultimate 4 in each 2022 and 2023. He’s the winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Sequence historical past with out a championship as effectively. It is a glass ceiling he merely can’t appear to brea and a myriad of points have plagued him all through the playoffs this yr.
Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick are the 2 drivers locked into the title-decider at Phoenix with Christopher Bell +29 factors and William Byron +7 factors on the cut-line.
