The Kansas Speedway turned out to be a letdown for Joe Gibbs Racing and Denny Hamlin, with the No. 11 car crossing the line in a frustrating 11th place. Fans, who had high hopes for a stellar finish, were left disappointed, especially since Hamlin was one of the weekend’s top favorites.

So, what went wrong? Despite having a fast car, a series of poorly executed pit stops, as well as the in-car issues slowed Hamlin down throughout the Hollywood Casino 400. Multiple errors from the crew compounded the frustration, leaving him unable to capitalize on his strong start. While Talladega could be a tough race not just for Denny Hamlin but all the Toyotas, here’s what he said about his disappointment from last weekend.

Did Denny Hamlin just take a U-turn?

On the 1.5-mile track, Hamlin made around 3 stops that completely put his speed off rhythm. Denny Hamlin was running comfortably inside the top 5 when his team’s first pit road mishap knocked him outside the top 10. Despite this setback, the No. 11 fought back to secure a top-5 finish in the first stage, showing just how competitive he was.

But the real blow came later, on lap 167, right at the end of Stage 2, when another pit stop error sent him to the back of the 38-car field. Hamlin pinned his hopes on a game-changing restart when the caution came out with 32 laps to go, but that break never came. It was a tough day for the No. 11 team, who just couldn’t catch a lucky break.

And, he was visibly annoyed. In the post-race pitlane interview, he said, “They know that today was one of their worst days ever,” Hamlin said after the race. “They’ll just go work to clean it up. I don’t know, I’ve had some pretty bad days, but just yeah, horrible day. Came out 15th, 20th, then we had a loose wheel. Just terrible. Terrible day.” But now he has come up with another take. As he sat down with Jared Allen for an Actions Detrimental episode, he cleared away all his disappointments with the No. 11 team as well as JGR.

He said, “I am pi**ed off, I have got some wires crossed, some bolts loose, means that I am rattled at the moment. I am so angry about how our day went.. I had a few good restarts and our car was fast. I just hate we never got to show how fast our car was….but every time I would get back towards the top 3 or 4 an issue would come out and then we go back so far in the field.”

With the only hopes on the Talladega Speedway, it is time for Denny Hamlin to make up for what happened. Talking to Jared on the podcast, he even mentioned that he is hopeful of the team and he “loves his team.”  He admitted to having a rough day on the pit and, just like any other job, is confident of making it up. Denny further backed his team by saying, “We are a team, and sometimes we just drop the ball.” However, the good news is that there is still optimism and hope left for the team to prove their worth at the Talladega Speedway.

Will Joe Gibbs’ favorite ‘Drivers’ make it to the top?

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The upcoming weekend holds a lot of expectations from Joe Gibbs’ fans. After securing 7th place on the Kansas Speedway, Christopher Bell has been able to ignite hope from fans. But will he be able to be the torchbearer for the upcoming Talladega Speedway play-off as well?

However, the statistics in Talladega speak otherwise. Out of the 7 races on the Speedway, C. Bell has won none till now, which further bleakens hopes.

Interestingly, Denny Hamlin too has also not tasted much success on the track, except for two wins, one in 2014, and the other in 2020, which puts immense pressure on the driver. After his unimpressive feat on the Kansas Speedway on Sunday, making fans proud can be a game changer.

Talladega’s 2.66-mile oval is NASCAR’s largest and most unpredictable track, where drafting is key to success. Last year, Denny Hamlin secured his 16th top-10 finish here, placing 3rd behind William Byron and Ryan Blaney, who both lead the standings again this season. If history repeats, Hamlin could be in a strong position, but with Talladega’s chaotic pack racing, anything can happen.

However, with such statistics and the crew not being able to work at their best, do you think the Talladega Superspeedway can be eventful for the No. 11 team?