Denny Hamlin is one of the best drivers NASCAR has ever seen and is currently going through a terribly rough patch. With dreams of attaining that elusive championship in the last two decades, he has had agonizingly near misses. The recent playoffs have only seen things take a turn for the worse for Hamlin and his team.

In such tough times, when keeping together has been difficult, it is Denny Hamlin’s crew chief who has pulled the strings together. Chris Gabehart has been a constant source of motivation for the team and has kept them vested in achieving the goal. In preparation for Homestead and Martinsville, he opened up on the importance of his crew chief during a tumultuous playoff run.

Hamlin braces himself amidst worries of playoff spot slipping away

Since the Round of 16 commenced in Atlanta, it seems as though nothing has been going in favor of Denny Hamlin. His playoff run got off to a nightmarish start with back-to-back P24 and P23 finishes in Atlanta and Watkins Glen. Since then, it has been a tough uphill climb for Hamlin to stay alive in the playoffs. A redeeming P4 finish at Bristol was followed by consecutive top-10 finishes in Kansas (P8) and Talladega (P10). He slipped back out of the top 10 at the ROVAL, finishing 14th, and salvaged a P10 finish in Vegas, placing him 5th in the playoff standings at -27 below the bubble.

The stakes are getting higher with every race and as tensions continue to rise, Hamlin will feel the nerves going into Homestead. He recently shared how his Crew Chief Chris Gabehart has always been a strong foundation of motivation for the team. He said, “Yeah, I think he does a really good job of that…….but Chris does a really good job of pumping the team up, keeping them motivated, and getting the best out of them. Certainly, we all go through these swells where you know we’re not performing our best, and certainly, the timing is not ideal right now. Every week is a new week with them and me, and certainly, I feel optimistic going into this one. We’ve done the work in the week to get better and we’re all gonna hopefully perform our best.” Chris Gabehart has been the Crew Chief for Denny Hamlin since 2019 and the duo have seen their affair share of success, winning 20 races together.

With Hamlin being optimistic and Chris Gabehart behind his back, anything might be possible. Currently, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is in a bottleneck position where he will have to win, either at Homestead Miami or Martinsville, to secure a spot in Phoenix. While he has three victories at Homestead and five victories at Martinsville, the pressure will be higher than ever. However, pressure never seems to faze the JGR veteran, as he consistently expresses optimism about the unpredictability of racing.

Reacting to the same, he mentioned, “As bad as the playoffs has gone for us that we are in the situation with three to go truthfully, shows that you know in the system you just always got a chance until that last cut-off race is over with. So it doesn’t matter how far back you are with points, you just got to find a way to win and sometimes you can run 10th and win that day. Christopher Bell, I was lapping him earlier in this race last year and then he comes back and wins the race. So anything can happen and certainly you never out of it until they throw the checker”. 

However, Gabehart has also come forth and explained how there is a complete lack of momentum. The crew chief did not seem to be very pleased with the playoff format. He said, “Momentum is not a thing, especially not with this format, especially not with this year’s rounds of races, the way they laid out”. He even took a dig at the tracks used in these playoffs without explicitly taking any names. According to Hamlin’s crew chief, “Let’s not forget it. We’re talking about four joker tracks in the first six races of the playoffs, on top of it”. While Gabehart could be referring to any track here, it probably includes the Talladega Superspeedway, given its history of notoriety.

Hamlin Vs Bell – who will seal the deal?

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While Denny Hamlin has failed to show a performance that is worth mentioning, the calculations have been completely different for Christopher Bell. Throughout the entire playoffs, Bell has not been under the cut-line at any stage and enters Miami brimming with confidence. Currently, Bell is 42 points above the cut-line and throughout the season, he has arguably been a better driver than Hamlin. In the 34 races so far, both drivers have claimed three wins each. However, Bell has averaged a 13.03 place finish, slightly better than Hamlin’s 14.58. Even in the regular season standings, Bell ranked 4th, while Hamlin came in 7th. Their statistics might seem similar for the regular season, but the playoffs told a completely different story. 

Christopher Bell has had a stunning playoff run and is itching to confirm his presence in Phoenix. The JGR #20 has had only one finish outside the top 10 and that was a P14 at Watkins Glen. His consistency is unmatched but despite that, he still is yet to win a race these playoffs. The closest he came to the checkered flag was at the ROVAL and in Vegas where he got consecutive P2 finishes. With red-hot form heading into Homestead, Bell looks like the favorite to confirm his spot in Phoenix.

Reflecting on the strategy he will be adopting, Bell said, “Yeah, I think that’s what we’re planning on (gaining max points). You know, that’s why you’re in the Round of 8, trying to transfer to the Championship 4. You’re never really safe. The three of us William (Byron), Kyle (Larson) and myself have kind of, the way that the cards fell, we’re kind of essentially point racing each other, and the guys below that are far enough below, they’re basically out of the points and essentially racing for wins.”

Seven drivers will be fighting for the last three spots in the Championship 4, and given how the standings have shaped up, it is going to be a heated battle. With a veteran like Hamlin looking from the outside in as youngster, Christopher Bell looks to secure his third consecutive Championship 4, the battle of the eras be on full display. Who do you think will make the Championship 4?