Denny Hamlin has had quite a top-turvy playoff so far, hasn’t he? The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran made a slow start in the postseason, with lackluster performances at Atlanta and Watkins Glen, but regained momentum in the next three races by securing top-ten results in each of them. Having narrowly made it into the Round of 8, the 43-year-old knows that the stakes are higher than ever, with just three races separating him from a shot at the championship.

However, going by his playoff performances so far, legendary NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick has expressed his skepticism about Hamlin’s title hopes. While the upcoming tracks play to the Florida native’s strengths, does his No. 11 Toyota have the speed to go wheel-to-wheel against Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in the high-stakes races?

Kevin Harvick believes the pressure is on Hamlin to perform

It’s fair to say that Denny Hamlin is somewhat of an enigma. In his almost two-decade-long career, few have consistently delivered strong performances like the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, even though the Cup Series title has eluded him so far. The veteran has made it to the championship four, 6 times already but has fallen short for one reason or another every time.

This time around, the opening playoff races have featured two superspeedways and road courses, which may have contributed to his struggles so far. However, it’s now or never for the 43-year-old, who will look to improve his performance in the upcoming races.

When asked by Kaitlyn Vincie about the least impressive driver in the Round of 12, Kevin Harvick couldn’t help but express his apprehension about Denny Hamlin’s championship hopes. The 48-year-old went on to say, “You know, I think from the round we just had, I still think Denny Hamlin was the least impressive. I think they got lucky at Talladega and you got to have some luck. They haven’t had a lot of great luck. So to get some good luck, I think put them on their way to making it to the third round. I think this gives them a reset. I think that they still have the most pressure on them to go out and perform and do the things they need to do on tracks that they think are good for them.”

Kevin Harvick may have a point about Denny Hamlin being lucky at Talladega Superspeedway. With five scheduled laps to go, the 2024 YellaWood 500 saw a 28-car crash occur, the biggest in NASCAR history but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver escaped the incident unscathed.

What’s more, the circumstances played in his favor perfectly, helping him secure a 10th-place result in the penultimate Round of 12 playoff race. The result helped Hamlin secure a 30-point cushion going into Charlotte Roval, where he finished the race in 14th place to remain in title contention at Las Vegas.

With four races to go before the 2024 season ends, Denny Hamlin needs to step up a gear and significantly improve to keep his title hopes alive. As things stand, he is sixth in the driver standings, eight points behind the elimination cutline going into the 2024 South Point 400. The Florida native hasn’t finished outside the top ten in his last two appearances at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but that won’t be enough this time around. The racing veteran will need to prioritize a top-five result or a race victory to remain in contention for a spot at Phoenix Raceway later this year.

Denny Hamlin is not underestimating playoff rivals either

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The competition is well and truly heating up in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. With upcoming races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville, the stakes are higher than ever ahead of the championship race at Phoenix Raceway. As things stand, the likes of Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and William Byron are above the playoff cutline while Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano are in the danger zone. With eight candidates fighting for four spots in the last race of the season, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran isn’t misjudging his rivals at this crucial playoff juncture.

Giving credit where it’s due by acknowledging that Kyle Larson is in a league of his own, Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast, “What do you want to see? Do you want to see the best four? Like you really don’t know who’s going to win? Or do you want to see an A driver and a B and a C and a D? But I’m saying this is maybe the best eight ever assembled as far as like how even it is. You could put Larson on an island and tell him you could say that, okay, there, they are a step above but two through eight is fire and it’s going to be close.”

Given the unpredictability of the upcoming races, Denny Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gabehart will be eager to not repeat the same mistakes that were made in the opening six postseason fixtures. The duo will need to adopt a more aggressive strategy going forward, with the hope that Lady Luck will be on their side to give them that extra edge that they desperately need. Could this finally be the year Hamlin lifts the elusive championship trophy at Phoenix Raceway?

Time will tell. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s fate lies in his own hands; all he needs to do is capitalize on his opportunities.