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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA NASCAR All-Star Race May 21, 2023 North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin 11 during the All Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. North Wilkesboro North Wilkesboro Speedway North Carolina USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJimxDedmonx 20230521_ams_db2_135 | Image Credits: Imago
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via Imago
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA NASCAR All-Star Race May 21, 2023 North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin 11 during the All Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. North Wilkesboro North Wilkesboro Speedway North Carolina USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJimxDedmonx 20230521_ams_db2_135 | Image Credits: Imago
The first race of the NASCAR Playoffs was an entertaining one especially, because of Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver entered the playoffs with 25 points, ranking third in the table. While a win would have done wonders to his title aspirations, Hamlin turned into a comical affair in Stage 3 on Monday.
It is no secret how after 19 years of racing, the 43-year-old has been keen on going all the way in the 2023 season. However, despite his impressive performance, Hamlin has struggled to win the hearts of the NASCAR fandom.
Denny Hamlin gets paranoid at Darlington Raceway despite having a dominant performance
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The race at Darlington Raceway was an eventful one for Joe Gibbs Racing. On a day when Martin Truex Jr and Christopher Bell struggled with their pit crew mishaps, Denny Hamlin looked in a different league. In fact, he looked untouchable for the first two stages.
After putting on a dominant performance in Stage 1 and Stage 2, Hamlin had the perfect start to the playoffs. However, things didn’t quite go in the same direction in Stage 3. With almost 89 laps to go, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver felt he had a loose wheel on his car.
A problem on the No. 11 forces @dennyhamlin back to pit road! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/FEeD95G9wl
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 4, 2023
Due to this, Hamlin had to return back to pit road. What happened next was even more tragic. While the Florida-born driver complained about a loose wheel, his crew chief Chris Gabehart denied having a failure of this sort. He said, “Everything we can tell, the wheel looked fine, bud.”
While the #11 driver argued it was loose, it looked like he got paranoid about the situation. Regardless of the actual scenario, it cost Hamlin massively given how he looked so dominant and very likely to win the race.
PROBLEMS FOR DENNY HAMLIN! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/6k2n2lRTDM
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 4, 2023
Interestingly, Hamlin led 177 laps before the incident took place.
READ MORE – Denny Hamlin Leaves a Nightmare for His Crew With a 3-Word Message, Revealing the Truth of Darlington
From the information received from the JGR team, it looked like a misconception from Hamlin’s end. Nevertheless, the fans saw the funny side of it and expressed it on social media.
NASCAR fandom mocks Denny Hamlin after his questionable decision at Darlington Raceway
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After having raced so well for more than two stages at Darlington, Denny Hamlin was destined for a playoff win and a place in the round of 12. However, his decision to return to pit road fearing a loose wheel turned things around drastically.
It not only took away his chances of a dominant win but also turned it into a comical affair for the fans. Some of the fans slammed him sarcastically for his decision-making.
“nah hamlin is always right”
“Just cost himself bigtime”
— a-dawg (@AceTheKiddd) September 4, 2023
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At the same time, realizing what happened, many got excited for the upcoming episode of his podcast “Actions Detrimental”. One fan said, “Denny is gonna go on actions detrimental and be like I dont care that it wasn’t loose. That wheel was loose cause im Denny Hamlin and im always right”
At the same time, another fan said, “Actions detrimental gonna be lit tomorrow!” It is indeed surprising what happened. What do you think? Was Hamlin himself to be blamed for losing out on a glorious opportunity? Let us know in the comments below.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin swears loyalty away from Joe Gibbs during contract discussions.