Denny Hamlin’s Catastrophe Turns Into a Blessing for Rick Hendrick

Many questioned the form of Hendrick Motorsports going into the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs. While Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman failed to qualify for the final 16, Rick Hendrick relied heavily on Kyle Larson and William Byron for their title aspirations. Fortunately for HMS, Denny Hamlin gave them the ideal start in the playoffs.

It is true that Hamlin has been on an impressive run this campaign. After all, he is more eager than ever to register his first title win. However, things didn’t quite go his way at Darlington on Monday.

Despite having a dominant start at Darlington, Denny Hamlin did Rick Hendrick a favor

With two wins, nine top-five, and 12 top-ten finishes, Denny Hamlin entered the playoffs in stellar form. Ahead of the Cup Series race at Darlington, his victory in the Xfinity Series only boosted his morale. In fact, he couldn’t have asked for a better start for the race on Sunday.

In an impressive run, Hamlin cruised to Stage 1 and Stage 2 wins, imposing his dominant form on the Darlington track. While everything was going in his favor, things took a wild turn in Stage 3.

After having led 177 laps in South Carolina, the 42-year-old was involved in an unexpected incident.

With around 80 laps left, Hamlin feared a loose wheel and returned to pit road. While he looked very confident about it, his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, thought otherwise. Regardless of the actual scenario, the time loss cost Hamlin eventually, sacrificing what was an impeccable lead.

It only got worse when, with less than 40 laps to go, he was involved in a multiple-car wreck. Given how the odds weren’t in favor of him winning prior to the race, Hamlin’s day just proved them right. It was indeed a nightmare of a day for Joe Gibbs Racing, as even Martin Truex Jr and Christopher Bell struggled with their on-track team.

What’s worse is that Hamlin’s loss of opportunity to register his fourth Southern 500 winner turned out to be a pleasant outing for Rick Hendrick and his team. Kyle Larson for the first time ever in his career, registered a win at Darlington, securing his place in the Round of 12.

To add, even William Byron and Chase Elliott finished in the top ten, resulting in a successful outing for Hendrick Motorsports. Naturally, Hamlin looked disappointed after the race as he expressed it quite clearly.

READ MORE – HMS Legend Publicly Calls Out “Big Mouth” Denny Hamlin as He Finally Gets a Championship in 2023

Denny Hamlin believes he should have won the race at Darlington Raceway

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With the start Denny Hamlin had, it looked like he was cruising to victory. His car had the pace, but it just wasn’t meant to be for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Evidently, Hamlin looked upset after the race as he finished in the 25th position. In an on-track interview with Frontstretch, he said, “I really don’t care. I hate losing a race that [I] definitely should have won.”

When asked about the loose wheel incident, he said, “I felt a loose wheel. It’s really tough to tell in anything but they [JGR team] looked and looked like the left rear was still tightening as we were gone. So, it’s close enough to where it didn’t matter, what I felt I was gonna crash if I did like I’m going so I had to bring it in and you know just turn the day upside down.”

Clearly, this incident did change the entire dynamics of the race. Instead of Kyle Larson, it could have easily been Denny Hamlin in the victory lane on Monday. Was Hamlin himself to be blamed for this missed opportunity? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: Amid Chase Elliott’s Playoff Disappointment, Rick Hendrick Makes a Painful 4-Word Confession.