Denny Hamlin is making headlines with his 51 wins. Each brings him closer to his ultimate goal: a championship title that will etch his name into the annals of racing history. With a comfortable 50+ point lead above the cutline, the driver of the No. 11 Toyota seems poised for a smooth sail to the next playoff round, far from the threat of elimination. However, the road to victory is never without bumps.

As the qualifying session unfurled, Denny Hamlin found himself caught in a qualifying mishap, his Toyota stranded like a sitting duck dead center on the track. Just as another car hurtled toward him at full throttle, both drivers, with no lap times on the sheet, headed for a shared misfortune. Cameras captured the scene in all its intensity, with flames erupting from beneath Hamlin’s car while his teammate, Ty Gibbs, in the No. 54 car, sped down the backstretch.

ROVAL’s qualifying drama: Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs hit by a red flag

The final round of qualifying at the North Carolina road course was nothing short of a heart-pounding rollercoaster ride. As the session reached its climax, pilots who had been languishing below the cutoff line in the playoff standings immediately rocketed to the top of the timesheets, locking in their positions at the front of the grid. All eyes were then on the Joe Gibbs Racing duo, Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, as they made their final attempts to secure their spot in the top 10.

However, as they were making their final runs to secure their positions among the top 10, fate had other plans. A misjudgment by the 42-year-old led to disaster. The No. 11 stalled on the track, unfurling the dreaded red flag and relegating them to the 9th and 10th spots with no time left on the clock.

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It all unraveled when Hamlin went full throttle down the backstretch chicane, missing the turn entirely and triggering a dramatic spin that also affected Gibbs. The Toyota careened into the chicane, making a heavy impact on the curb. The Camry momentarily took flight, its wheels leaving the ground, before crashing back down on the asphalt.

With the No. 11 car failing to fire up in time to clear the track, an incoming Gibbs had no choice but to bring their qualifying session to an unexpected and premature end. Their impending doom was sealed.

Twitter erupts as Hamlin’s two words spark ‘The Office’ banter

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In the wake of a thrilling qualifying session at the Charlotte ROVAL, Denny Hamlin took to Twitter, delivering a succinct, two-word verdict on his performance: “Too deep...” Little did he know that this concise expression of frustration would unleash a torrent of fan reactions and banter. One fan playfully quipped, “That’s what she said,“ invoking the famous catchphrase from “The Office,” where Steve Carell’s character frequently used it in a comedic context.

Others chimed in with remarks like, “Just gonna send it, bud,” and “No such thing!” Some fans also couldn’t help but point out the advantage for his team in Hamlin’s mishap. One comment read, “that’s ok… you were just looking out for your employee drivers,” alluding to how Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, Hamlin’s 23XI drivers who are both below the elimination cutline, might have benefited from the incident.

But the jesting didn’t end there. One fan cheekily asked, “Hey Denny, did you beat my favorite driver after that spin?” poking fun at Hamlin’s famous quote uttered after a victory at the Bristol night race, and another labeled him a “hack.” While the ending to the qualifying was not ideal, the two JGR drivers don’t find themselves much down the grid and have solid ground to build their Sunday race day finish over.

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