Denny Hamlin, despite holding his ‘seasoned driver’ label high, has been experiencing a slight slump in his performance. And this has naturally raised concerns among his fans and team. While he’s still in a decent position in the point standings and has shown impressive runs, Hamlin has been struggling to replicate his previous successes. This prompted the veteran to jokingly blame his new dog, Lulu, for bringing bad luck. However, jokes apart, Jordan Bianchi has done a closer examination of Hamlin’s recent races and, of course, he thinks otherwise.

Denny Hamlin and his recent slump!

Denny Hamlin is an experienced veteran and even though he may be a championship-nil driver, it doesn’t mean he lacks anywhere—except luck, maybe! Recently, lady luck seems to have played havoc even on the normal race days and it all started at Sonoma. He finished in the 38th spot in Sonoma, then at Iowa, he finished in the 24th, and in New Hampshire, he kept his streak and finished 24th again. 

Come Nashville and he finished in 12th position and in the Chicago Street Race, he finished in 30th position. And in Pocono, even though he nearly clinched the win, he just couldn’t keep the lead with him and had to settle for a P2! Despite showing impressive speed in most races, Hamlin’s momentum was consistently ruined by unfavorable weather conditions, leading to a loss of pace. Speaking on ‘O’Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters,’ Jordan Bianchi accurately pointed out the same, calling out weather gods for their whims. 

Bianchi said at GoPRNLive, “He is so good at Pocono. He’s been good everywhere, and while the finishes haven’t been there as of late, a lot of it’s circumstantial. The speed has been there. They were fast in New Hampshire before the rain, then the rain came, and it was a struggle. They were fast at Chicago, but then Hamlin struggled in the rain. They were fast at Pocono, probably would have won that race if he had gotten by Bowman a couple of laps sooner and had a better restart.”

Almost rooting for Hamlin, Bianchi also talked about the Indianapolis race and #11’s chances. He said, “I would expect Hamlin’s going to be very much in the mix on Sunday. Again, it goes back to the fact that he has never won this race before. He’s won the Coca-Cola 600, he’s won Daytona three times, he’s won the Southern 500. What is the one major that’s missing from his resume? It’s this one.”

Indianapolis is indeed a crown jewel, and Hamlin may be poised to make a strong push for a win at this iconic track He has never won on the track before, but he had a close run with none other than Kevin Harvick in 2020. And given that he was so good in Pocono and had such great speed—it doesn’t seem impossible. However, considering the recent mechanical issues with JGR and Toyota engines, as evident in Ty Gibbs’ engine failure at Pocono, Hamlin will need to be on his toes to add this iconic track to his already impressive resume.

Denny Hamlin’s predictions about Indianapolis

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The Brickyard 400 is making a comeback after three years. Almost everyone thought Hamlin wouldn’t get to win on this track before he retired, but what a golden opportunity! He now has the chance to win it. In a recent episode of Action Detrimental, he even expressed his desire, saying, “I want to win it bad“.

However, he’s also not letting excitement get the better of him. After all, balance is key. He said that as a driver, he needs utmost focus both on and off the racetrack. The No. 11 driver talked about how a strong start is crucial in Indianapolis, noting that even after starting 10th, catching up can be challenging. So it’s crucial to do well from the start to the finish. He said, “Just got to make sure I do my job to the best of my ability and if we do, we’re gonna have a great shot. But I wanna win bad.”

He even predicted that the race in Indianapolis would be extremely competitive. Given that the Indianapolis track is narrower than even the Pocono track, it’s going to be a tight contest. Hamlin hence noted that this could lead to numerous “wrecks” during the race and said, “Indy is one lane. And when I say one lane, it’s one lane. …We all know being on the outside is not going to be preferred at that place. You’re gonna want to be on the bottom, and then what’s going to happen is we’re going to go down these long straightaways, and everyone’s going to try three-wide bottom. Everyone’s going to try to merge, and usually you’re probably going to see a lot of wrecks late.”

Well, winning this race is something he wants badly. So he will give it his 100%, but it depends on various factors from a well-performing car, his speed, and of course a little sprinkle of luck! Do you think he will take the victory at Indy? Let us know!