As of now, there are two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in the playoffs and one is having smoother sails than the other. Denny Hamlin is the driver who faces many difficulties during the playoffs, while Christopher Bell seems to have it easy. With one driver in the safe zone and the other on the bubble, JGR is in a confusing position right now. Hamlin is having multiple difficulties navigating through the playoffs and that has many fans wondering: Will he make it to the finals?

Denny Hamlin is currently 5th in the playoff charts and if he wants to get into the top 4 at Phoenix, the next two races mean everything to him. Lucky for him, the next three races are on a more conventional oval circuit, where Hamlin is known to outperform most of the competition. However, this time it’s not his driving that is making the playoffs difficult for him; instead, it’s his pit crew.

Denny Hamlin’s pit crew slump during the 2024 playoffs

Although Denny Hamlin has fixed his own slump that started a while before the playoffs, he still isn’t in contention for the win. At Kansas, Hamlin finished 8th but despite achieving a result that pushed him into the next round, he was unhappy about not winning. After the Kansas race, Hamlin shared that his pit crew did not perform as intended, which cost him the race.

While the post-race interview brought in some controversy after Hamlin shared his thoughts on his team’s performance, he was very happy with his team. Bob Pockrass interviewed Denny Hamlin while heading into the Homestead race, and that’s where the No. 11 Toyota driver revealed his true thoughts about his pit crew. Hamlin started with a strong statement, saying, “You ride with the group you’ve got.”

However, right after that, Hamlin explained the situation that the team is in by saying, “I think that they’re certainly not; you know, they’re in a slump, for sure. But we got to, you know, ride it out and feel like, you know, that’s the best group that we can put on pit road.” Hamlin understands that, although his pit crew is going through a slump, they are the best team he can have and he isn’t one to let a few poor performances affect him.

Denny Hamlin explained, “It’s not due to talent or anything like that—they’ve got all the keys they need for that.” For Denny Hamlin, the 2024 season started off with a bang, but somewhere down the line, he lost his momentum. The 43-year-old explained, “They were the best crew for the first quarter this year. But certainly, it’s just been a lot of different issues on the pit road.” Now it’s important to note how hectic a 10-second pit stop can be. From tire changes to fueling up and everything in between, NASCAR challenges the pit crew at every stop.

Hamlin understands how complicated it is to pull off a pit stop and knowing that the team has not been performing up to par, he laid down some of his thoughts on what could go wrong. It is not possible to narrow down where things are going wrong for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team, and so Hamlin concluded the segment by saying, “Pretty much most times we come down, it’s been different things, so you can’t really pinpoint one consistent problem that we’ve had. So you just got to see where it goes.”

Now that the upcoming race is at Homestead Miami, let’s take a look at Hamlin’s strategy to secure a win and a spot in the finals.

Denny Hamlin’s Homestead strategy

Denny Hamlin finds himself in a challenging position heading into the Round of 8 at

Homestead-Miami Speedway. After finishing P8 at Las Vegas without stage points and with Joey Logano claiming the win, Hamlin is now 27 points below the cutline. With only a few races left, he’s preparing meticulously, focusing on past race data and fine-tuning setups from previous seasons. “You just really rely on notes from last time you were there,” he shared, underscoring the importance of adjustments and simulations to get everything in sync for race day.

As a three-time winner at Homestead, Hamlin knows his championship hopes likely hinge on winning here again. Aware of the pressure, he sees a clear path to stay in the playoff hunt: consistent top-three finishes across all stages. He admitted, “We’re on the other side of [the cut-line],” recognizing the urgency for flawless performances. For Hamlin, it’s all about “must-run” strategies where he and Tyler Reddick need top finishes to close the points gap.

Beyond that, he’s realistic about needing a bit of luck as well, hoping one of his rivals—Byron, Larson, or Bell—might stumble. “It’s looking more and more clear on what needs to happen right away,” he concluded. With everything at stake, Hamlin and the No. 11 team have proven they can pull off big performances under pressure, and they’ll need to do just that at Homestead.

Do you think that Homestead will be where Hamlin finds himself a place in the playoffs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.