Oblivious Denny Hamlin Baffles Kyle Busch as Spotter Slip-Up Proves Detrimental for JGR’s Superstar

It was quite a weird race for Denny Hamlin at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. He ran near the front on a few occasions but never really seemed to be in control of the event which is rare for the driver of the #11. It was not a good day for the team as there were slip-ups by a lot of people in the crew, including his spotter Chris Lambert, which ultimately caused Hamlin to spin when the driver suddenly switched lanes. And even Hamlin’s former teammate Kyle Busch was left confused by the sudden manuever.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star did not have a race to remember as he managed a below-par P23 finish in the second race of the campaign. Ever since he won the Clash at the Coliseum, the veteran race car driver has not really impressed. He finished P19 in Daytona and here, he could not even make the top 20. There may be a slight cause for concern going into the next race.

Spotter’s error and a lack of judgment cost Denny Hamlin several positions

Usually, Hamlin and his spotter Chris Lambert get things right, but that was not the case on Sunday. The #11 was spun around by the #8 of Kyle Busch during the race. At first glance, it may have seemed like Rowdy was responsible, whereas in reality, there was nowhere the Richard Childress Racing driver could have gone.

It was Denny Hamlin who decided to switch lanes from the outside with the #8 running close quarters behind him in the next lane. The 43-year-old must have gotten the all-clear from Chris Lambert before making the move, which cost him several positions on the track. It left Kyle Busch confused and the JGR star irritated as Lambert cut a disappointed figure.

“Where the hell was he going?” Kyle Busch asked after the contact was made and his former teammate spun. Denny Hamlin, also initially confused, said, “What happened? I thought I was clear,” to which his spotter rather meekly said, “Negative.”

However, in a post-race media interaction, Hamlin did not put any blame on his spotter. Instead, he said that the incident took place perhaps because he was not paying attention to what was going on around him. Rookie mistake for an almost 20-year Cup Series veteran.

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Denny Hamlin does not mince his words, even when he is being critical of himself in public. The driver of the #11 car said that he “was just lulled to sleep” which is another way of saying that he running at his full potential. At such a high level, that just isn’t acceptable and the 43-year-old knows it.

“I was driving, and next thing you know, I was sideways, and I was spun out. I couldn’t figure out how the hell that happened. I didn’t even know, maybe I wasn’t just paying attention. Maybe I was just lulled to sleep, because I didn’t have a car right in front of me. I didn’t have one like, right beside me. I had a little gap behind me. I just, maybe I relaxed, down the straight away. I’m not really sure. But I look at multiple angles and I’m like, ‘He came up,’ and then I see another one and I’m like, ‘I definitely came down.’ So it’s like, they both happened, and it’s just, when he got super close to the left rear, it shot me even further left, and I guess I spun myself out. I’m not really sure,” the JGR star said as per On3.

The season has not started the way Denny Hamlin would have wanted. He seems very much off the pace to challenge for a win, but then again, NASCAR is an unpredictable sport. It will be interesting to see how the #11 performs on Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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