Denny Hamlin had high hopes heading into the first race of the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With him being one of the favorites, expectations were soaring for Hamlin. He had also been enjoying one of the best postseasons of his career. However, despite showing glimpses of his potential, his 9th-place finish in the South Point 400 left many NASCAR enthusiasts bewildered. NASCAR insiders analyzed Hamlin’s race and revealed a significant weakness that might be critical to his championship aspirations.

Denny Hamlin, who’s been vocal about his championship ambitions, found himself near the front of the pack throughout the race at Las Vegas. He even led for a period during Stage 2 and secured a fourth-place finish, earning valuable stage points. However, with a car capable of a top-five finish, many expected him to challenge for the win.

Jeff Gluck was left disappointed by Denny Hamlin’s lack of ability to finish the race strongly

Hamlin’s 9th-place finish, although not a disaster, has placed him in a precarious position. He is now just four points above the cutline in 3rd place. This situation has implications for the Joe Gibbs Racing team as a whole. His teammate Martin Truex Jr is also sitting right behind him in 4th place with only three points above the cutline. The performance of the Joe Gibbs Racing stable in Las Vegas left many disappointed, as their drivers, apart from Christopher Bell, failed to make a significant impact on the race.

NASCAR Insider Jeff Gluck provided insights into Hamlin’s performance. He shared his disappointment at not seeing Denny Hamlin convert a top 5 car into a top 5 position. His insights highlight Hamlin’s inability to finish races strongly. This issue was not exclusive to Las Vegas. It was also evident in the previous race at Charlotte.

Gluck remarked on Hamlin’s race, saying, “Denny Hamlin you know, if you heard him on his podcast last week. He’s like yeah, we don’t run great in practice and qualifying necessarily at Vegas. But we build up to it and that’s exactly what happened, right? Like he qualifies 15th, but he starts moving his way up. And you know he gets up to the top five and you’re like okay, well, I guess that’s what’s gonna happen.”

“…He led 23 laps, but at the end. Like the last run, he just sort of faded. He said his handling went away, and he lost a couple [of] spots on the restart. [He] got too tight, and they were just never able to do anything. 10th place is not what I would have thought out of that team today. I thought top five for sure and it seemed like they had a top five car. But you know not finishing it not finishing off the race really hurts him,” Jeff concluded.

Although the race didn’t go as planned for Hamlin. Earlier, he had spoken about his mistakes that cost him his championship hopes last year.

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Hamlin had previously stated that this could be his year to finally claim the Cup championship. Speaking to the media before the race on Sunday, Hamlin shared his optimism, tempered with an awareness of the challenges that lay ahead.

Hamlin recalled the heartbreak of last year’s playoffs, where a stunning move terms as ‘Hail Melon’ by Ross Chastain at Martinsville Speedway cost him a shot at the title. His failure to outperform Chastain at the finish line was a painful memory. Speaking to the media, Hamlin stated, “I still think you gotta be really precise in the moves you make and certainly the risk that you take. I mean, I think we had three finishes in the top seven. Last year we didn?t make it there was a lot of different factors in that.”

“We didn?t have as many playoff points last year as well,” Hamlin added. “So I think that kinda repeat performance would probably get you in, but who knows? We don?t know, we are just so week to week and you really can?t think about the end result. You just have to think about the next shot that?s this weekend.”

When asked if he still believed this year could be his championship year, Hamlin responded, “Well, I mean, it?s eight of our years so far. It?s not mine to lose others to gain. It?s, there?s all an equal shot for everyone. It doesn?t mean all the cars are equal, it doesn?t mean all the teams are equal, but certainly, everyone?s got an equal shot going into these last four races. So I feel as good about it as I have before. Today doesn?t change any of that.”

With just a four-point buffer above the cutline and two races left in the Round of 8, Hamlin’s championship aspirations hang in the balance. To secure his place in the Championship 4 race and avoid a repeat of last year’s disappointment, he needs a race win in the upcoming events.

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