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

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.

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.

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

Trending

Kyle Busch’s Wife Samantha Surprisingly Embracing Indian Culture Has Fans Going Gaga Over Fashionista Status

NASCAR Rumor: Courtesy of a $38.76B Sponsor, Tony Stewart’s Dark Horse Secures a Seat With Brad Keselowski at RFK Racing

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Enraged at Bubba Wallace After He Shot Himself in the Foot, Leaving Michael Jordan in Agony

NASCAR Fans Urge Kyle Busch for a U-Turn Amid Rumors of Rick Hendrick’s Underachiever’s Exit

Despite Alex Bowman’s Confidence, $12.67 Billion Sponsor Could Leave Him Hanging Out of HMS if the Tides Don’t Turn

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”

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.

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin swears loyalty away from Joe Gibbs during contract discussions.