“Don’t Have to Be…Careful”- Denny Hamlin Bluntly Warns Entire NASCAR Grid Ahead of Martinsville Clash

The NASCAR Cup Series has reached the crescendo with the action headed to the half-a-mile track in Martinsville. While teammate, Christopher Bell punched his ticket into the final 4 by winning the race in Homestead last week, Denny Hamlin despite his spectacular performances is one race off of another potential disappointment.

Unlike his regular season ventures, a series of misfortune has caught the driver off guard in. Currently, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is 17 points below the cutline. With just 2 more spots up for grabs, Hamlin certainly needs to take things back but can he make this his year?

Well, Hamlin isn’t the type of guy to quit just like that. On the contrary, he is the kind of guy that would rather go out swinging instead of conceding defeat. Ahead of his highly anticipated short track run, the veteran revealed his mindset, mentioning his plans to go full steam, guns blazing, essentially warning the whole field for an all-out war.

Denny Hamlin drops a cold warning as the JGR veteran readies his guns for an all-out war

Up until this point, Joe Gibbs Racing had a formidable combination consisting of 2 seasoned veterans and a road racing specialist in the playoff picture. While a mechanical failure ended Hamlin’s day in Homestead-Miami putting him below the cutline, everything is not over for the 42-year-old “villain” as evident from his confident attitude before the race.

Out of the 8 races in the post-regular season, trouble came looking for the #11 Toyota more than once. Hamlin slipped from being a possible race winner in the most frustrating ways possible. Despite having the equipment, bad luck has caused enough harm to the #11 team, eventually leaving them in dire straits.

However, that did not kill the outspoken veteran’s morale. Instead, as the action gets to the short track in Martinsville, Hamlin is preparing himself thoroughly. The 23XI Racing co-owner dropped a cold and stern warning to his competitors.

He said, “I dont know. They all feel about the same honestly but yeah it’s unfortunate, right? The circumstances are unfortunate, but you know I certainly would rather be in Blaney’s position, but also I know that I can be in full offense for the entire race. This time around I don’t have to play D, I don’t have to be a little bit, you know, more careful. It’s just one mode right from the get-go.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin: From underdog to champion? 

Can Hamlin become the “villain” in Martinsville?

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Denny Hamlin is unarguably one of the best in the sport. In his 18 years in NASCAR’s top tier division, he has seen uncountable triumphs. However, the 42-year-old has yet to reach the Cup series title glory despite being a seasoned veteran of the sport. And that’s one argument haters usually use to drag the driver, often calling him “the best to never win a title.”

Over the years, the veteran has come close to the elusive victory several times, but luck hasn’t been on his side ultimately. However, this time, things seem to be looking up as Hamlin is preparing to double down on his efforts for the ultimate win.

What only adds to his credibility is that Martinsville is one track where the veteran has been bullishly strong at. So far he has had 5 wins at the short track including 18 top 5s and 24 top 10 finishes. He has also led a whopping 2226 laps at the venue, completing 97 percent of the laps he’s run, failing to finish only two races.

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin Could Extend His Championship-Less Run as His Luck Seems to Run Out Heading to Martinsville

He will start the race 4th on Sunday, 3 spots behind his teammate, Martin Truex Jr who is also in a similar do-or-die situation. Will he be able to beat his competitors to kiss victory? Let us know in the comments below!