When Denny Hamlin joked about his “black cat” curse earlier this year, he might not have realized how prophetic his words would seem as the season unfolded. Now, with the championship just within reach, the 43-year-old driver finds himself battling not just competitors but a string of misfortunes that make his pursuit of that Cup Series title feel almost cursed. During a crucial practice session at Martinsville, Hamlin’s title hopes took another painful blow after an accident that will probably test his patience in the final stretch of the playoffs.

The mishap began innocently enough during practice on November 1. Hamlin’s #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota had a piece of rubber lodged itself in the throttle, causing it to stick wide open as he approached Turn 3. Unable to slow down, Hamlin tried desperately to control his car, but it careened into the outside retaining wall rear-first, leaving his team scrambling to either repair or replace the car before race day. With his championship run hanging in the balance, Hamlin’s latest struggle feels like yet another chapter in the saga of near-misses that have defined his career.

A Familiar Pattern of Bad Luck in the Chase for the Cup

For fans of Denny Hamlin, watching him face yet another roadblock in his championship chase is an all-too-familiar experience. Known for his skill and competitive drive, Hamlin has won over 50 Cup Series races, putting him among the sport’s elite. But despite this success, the NASCAR Cup Series title has eluded him time and time again, with near-wins slipping away due to bad luck, untimely incidents, or sheer misfortune. This season seemed different at first until the Martinsville accident added a frustrating twist to Hamlin’s path forward.

Hamlin’s post-practice interview captured the sheer frustration he felt at that critical moment. When asked about the accident, Denny Hamlin explained, “Yeah, it looked like [crew chief Chris Gabehart] sent me a picture, and there was a large chunk right in the throttle body that was still sitting there when we pulled in here.” He added, “I’ve had throttle stick before, but never hang all the way wide open.” The rubber chunk blocked the throttle from moving back, effectively trapping him in a full-throttle situation.

Recalling the moments just before impact, Hamlin shared his frantic attempts to avoid a serious collision: “I mean, I tried to just mash the pedals as hard as I could, and at that point, I just kind of whipped the wheel as much as I could to the left to try to spin sideways.” Even as he fought for control, Hamlin was fully aware of the implications a crash would have on his playoff run. “You’re trying your best to keep the thing off the fence because you know the implications of it,” he said, echoing the high stakes he faces at this stage in the playoffs.

Now, starting from the back of the field, the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 driver faces a steep climb to regain any lost ground. His immediate goal? Simply staying on the lead lap. He admitted, “That’ll be the short-term goal, yeah, is certainly try to find a way to put some cars between us and the leaders to stay on the lead lap. It will be difficult to do that, but we’ll just give it our best shot. I mean, we’re not going to give up.”

Despite the setback, Hamlin voiced some optimism about the new tire’s performance at Martinsville, which he believes could help him make up some positions if the race stays green. “The good news is, I thought the tire was definitely an improvement from what we’ve had here in the past,” Hamlin observed. “If the race goes long enough and green enough, you could make up some spots there if your car is handling well.” As the season nears its end, Hamlin’s latest challenge underscores his relentless pursuit of that elusive title. But deep down, there’s no denying that he wants this win, that this year was supposed to be different. With only 2 races left, Hamlin’s fans will be hoping he can finally break free of the “black cat” curse and clinch the title that has haunted him for so long.

Implications of Denny Hamlin’s crash during the practice

Hamlin radioed in frustration, realizing that his chance at a clean start in Sunday’s critical Round of 8 finale had just vanished. Frustrated but uninjured, he stormed out of his car, slamming his helmet onto the roof, knowing that his team now faced a massive repair job to get the car race-ready.

Back in the garage, Hamlin’s crew examined the car, finding a large chunk of rubber lodged in the throttle body—a freak occurrence, but enough to mess with the car’s mechanics. Despite the accident, they decided to work on the primary car rather than switching to a backup, with crew chief Chris Gabehart explaining, “Most of the (rear) clip looks fine… there was a lot of good things about this car. Obviously, it fired off really fast.”

Even with repairs underway, Hamlin now faces the difficult task of starting from the back of the field with a challenging goal: “We’ll just give it our best shot. I mean, we’re not going to give up.” Currently sixth in the standings and 18 points below the cutoff, Hamlin will need to win Sunday’s 500-lap race to advance to the Championship 4 in Phoenix. As Hamlin gears up for Martinsville, he’s focused on creating another big moment—and this time, making it to Phoenix. Do you think that he will be able to win and make it into the finals from the back of the grid? Share your thoughts in the comments below.