Denny Hamlin’s Crew Chief Left Devastated After Failing to Conquer Brickyard at Indy

Jul 22, 2024 | 3:01 PM EDT

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Did Denny Hamlin's crew chief drop the ball at Indy, or was it just bad luck?

As NASCAR heads into the mid-season break, Denny Hamlin had a less-than-satisfying race at the Brickyard 400. With only three laps to go, Hamlin and Kyle Busch made contact, which led to both of their races getting ruined. While Denny Hamlin had a DNF, Kyle Busch managed to finish P25. These results are not what the team expected, as the restarts in the race begin to stir up some drama.

After taking out each other, Kyle Busch apologized to his former teammate as they were both fighting for a top 5 finish, only to get sabotaged due to making contact. Following the initial contact between the two cars into turn 3, Busch found himself moving from the bottom of the track to the outside wall. This result was something neither of the team wanted, and after such a taxing race, Hamlin’s crew chief had something to say.

Chris Gabehart reveals his state of mind after the Brickyard 400

Denny Hamlin was running ahead of most of the grid until the unfortunate incident that forced him to retire. The whole team was left disappointed at the result, as Hamlin missed out on a chance to conquer the Brickyard 400 to complete the crown jewel on his racing resume. Having already won the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500, the Brickyard 400 remains a challenge for Hamlin to overcome.

Although he was quite close to winning the race, the incident with Busch pushed him to the back of the grid for the race. While Hamlin has a spot in the playoffs, having such a DNF is not fun for anyone on the team, and his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, had something to say about this.

Taking to X, the crew chief made a post saying, “Had the winner today. I just couldn’t fight off the ‘guess the magic caution’ crowd to start stage 3. We just needed a bit of green flag racing, and we were home free.” Gabehart explained how he is proud of his team, Joe Gibbs Racing, for all the work they put into the season.

Had the winner today. Just couldn’t fight off the “guess the magic caution” crowd to start stage 3. Just needed a bit of green flag racing and we were home free.
Proud of my @JoeGibbsRacing teammates and @dennyhamlin for often being at the front of the fast strategy.
Break time https://t.co/yGOYDVAfdb
— Chris Gabehart (@CG1751) July 22, 2024

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Gabehart also celebrated Denny Hamlin’s performance, as when it came to following the strategy, the #11 JGR driver played his part until the unfortunate incident. As Gabehart shared his thoughts on the race, fans joined in, saying that the team “didn’t deserve the finish” they got. Many wished JGR good luck for the rest of the season, as they suggested a much-needed break after a difficult race.

While Denny Hamlin’s race was ended by Kyle Busch, the Richard Childress Racing driver made sure to apologize for sabotaging a potential top-five finish.

What Kyle Busch had to say about the incident with Denny Hamlin at Brickyard 400

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Did Denny Hamlin's crew chief drop the ball at Indy, or was it just bad luck?

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With three laps remaining, Busch attempted a low move into turn 3 but ended up colliding with Hamlin’s car. This contact caused Busch’s car to spin out and crash into the outside wall, forcing the race into overtime. Hamlin had to retire from the race despite being close to finishing within the top 5, and Busch had something to say after the race.

“Got right where we wanted to be with a good car and some really good pit calls. I’m really sorry to all my guys and RCR for crashing while trying to be aggressive and get them a top-5 finish. Ready for this two-week break? I really need it,” he said. While Busch caused the crash, he let his team down by falling back to P25 while he had a chance to finish in the top 5.

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The incident made all the team’s efforts go to waste as Kyle Busch missed out on another shot of making it into the playoffs. With only 5 races left and the midway break underway, do you think that Busch has a chance of making it to the playoffs this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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