“I’m definitely a fighter if you put me in a corner,” stated Denny Hamlin on his podcast a month back. That was before he was hit with the gigantic L2 penalty from NASCAR, taking away his valuable playoff points. Now, that he is stuck in the corner and has to actually fight back with all his might, he feels the pressure he is really in.

The NASCAR Cup Series format is such that it gives drivers a lot of opportunities to perform and excel throughout the season. Unfortunately, the situation Hamlin finds himself in now does not give much room for anything. The regular season is about to end and he is about to lose more playoff points when that happens.

Why do the Playoff points hurt more than the regular season points?

The fact that the regular season is done for plays an important role in the NASCAR playoffs being more material. The reason? Regular-season points help with the field standing and weigh in towards the playoff points rewarded at every stage, after every race, and when the season ends.

Denny Hamlin did not just lose his crucial playoff points already earned, he also lost the chance to earn more of them when the season ends. His previously held third ranking could have earned him eight points, and even more if he had succeeded in rising through the ranks. Those have now been reduced to just five points at the sixth rank. “It’s not just ten points, it’s the seven-eight others that we’re going to miss out on every round. So, cumulative it could be 50 or so points. And so, that’s the gut punch is like Damn it,” said the #11 driver.

While Hamlin is on an incessant pursuit to seize his first Championship title in the top series, the colossal mistake has tipped him off the track significantly. Hamlin revealed his biggest fear to Frontstretch’s Anthony Damcott: “You know this format rewards regular-season excellence. But it certainly, it allows you to have not a perfect day, one day, and still be able to race for championship. But, you know, now I’m kinda back there in the middle where it’s like, you know, I’m very vulnerable in some spots.”

The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has been unlucky many times in the past, keeping him from his championship bid. Just last year when Hamlin tried to get into the final 4, William Byron took away his spot at Martinsville when his power steering broke, leaving him disappointed. Even in 2022, he lost his spot to Ross Chastain at Martinsville when the entire field and all the spectators were left flabbergasted by Chastain’s unbelievable move. The ‘Hail Mary’ move has since been banned by NASCAR owing to the safety concerns.

His 2020 season was another one with top performances throughout the season. However, he again got eliminated before reaching the final 4 due to some critical issues in addition to a close points battle. “So to speak, no point matters until it does. That’s the truth that it won’t matter until it does,” Hamlin shares his learning from past experiences.

Is it going to be another disappointing playoff for Denny Hamlin?

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Denny Hamlin has the mettle to deal with unprecedented and unfavorable situations. He might not have won the championship title yet, but he has definitely proven himself ready for it. It is just a matter of time before this experienced JGR driver finds himself holding that trophy.

There are obviously a lot of pent-up emotions for the 43-year-old driver as the goal almost seems unattainable now more than ever. The penalty was a big shocker even for him, despite having faced a series of unfaithful events through the years. He is starting to believe that the moment has probably passed for him when he says, “didn’t happen in a certain moment.”

To stay hopeful and not back down without a fight, Hamlin assured, “It just means that we’re going to have to be even that much greater when we get down to the second and third round.” Sometimes it takes too many failures to get that one victory. But when it does arrive, it’s the sweetest of all fruits.