It’s now or never for Denny Hamlin. With just two races remaining before Phoenix Raceway, time is running out for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to turn his season around. The title has eluded the veteran racer in his long and illustrious Cup Series career, but it’s a streak he’s eager to break this season. However, having undergone a topsy-turvy playoff campaign, getting results is more important than ever before if the Florida native hopes to progress into the Championship 4.

With his hopes of silverware resting on the outcome of Homestead-Miami and Martinsville, Hamlin is outlining the expectations that he will need to live up to in the upcoming races. Will the veteran racer rise to the occasion or wilt under pressure at the business end of the season?

The pressure is piling on Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin hasn’t made it easy for himself in the playoffs, has he? The 43-year-old opted for a defensive strategy at Atlanta in the opening race, forcing him to settle for a 24th-place result. He didn’t fare much better at Watkins Glen either, finishing just one spot higher on the road course. However, a fourth-place finish at Bristol was enough to keep his title hopes alive, helping the Florida native progress into the next round. His performances since then have improved, with three top-ten finishes in the last four races, but with the stakes higher than ever, plenty of work still needs to be done.

Sharing his expectations from the upcoming races, the 23XI Racing co-owner said on the Actions Detrimental by Denny Hamlin podcast, “If you want to talk about must-win, it’s probably going to be Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and if you’re going to talk about must-run top-three in every stage and the race for the next two weeks, it’s me and Reddick. No exceptions. You must. If you don’t run in the top three every stage, that’s four stages and the race, there’s no way we make up that kind of ground on Byron, Larson, or Bell. That’s assuming also that one of them doesn’t have a great week.”

It seemed like whatever could go wrong did go wrong for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver at the 2024 South Point 400. Despite showing a good pace in qualifying and finishing 11th, Hamlin was forced to pit just 33 laps into the race and a lengthy 13.4-second stop relegated him to 14th. He dropped down to 19th by the end of Stage 2 after encountering more troubles on the pit road, especially when his left rear wheel was not tightened correctly. Given what’s on the line, the mistakes made by the No. 11 team were completely avoidable, and not what would be expected from a crew that is hoping to compete for the title.

Despite the setbacks, Denny Hamlin finished the race in eighth place and gave credit to his crew chief for the result by saying, “I thought Chris (Gabehart) did a great job trying to get some sort of finish. Once we lost the track position early, he was doing everything he could to try to get it back through some alternate strategy.” As things stand, the veteran is currently fifth in the driver standings, 27 points below the elimination cutline going into the penultimate Round of Eight race at Homestead-Miami.

Hamlin reflects on inconsistent playoff performances

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In many ways, the Round of Eight was expected to be a turning point in Denny Hamlin’s playoff season. The Florida native tends to perform well on intermediate tracks, in comparison to road courses and superspeedways, which may explain the reason for his lackluster results in the opening six races. However, it seems like the result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway wasn’t a stark improvement to recent weeks, highlighting his struggles during the business end of the season.

Despite facing many setbacks, Hamlin has used all his experience and skill to remain in contention for the title with just two races to go. Reflecting on his performances, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said, “We had one of them which is Bristol, and our pit crew is great there and we had a flawless day, we ran up front, stayed up there throughout the stages, and got a great finish. But besides that, it’s been a really tough go at it. We’ve had crashes, we’ve had all kinds of things throughout this playoffs and I told you on the way home, I said, ‘Frankly I’m amazed we’re still in it. I’m amazed we’re still part of the playoffs.’ So, it’s just not gone well.”

However, all hope is not lost. Denny Hamlin is just one victory away from securing a berth at Phoenix Raceway for the title. The Florida native will be hungrier than ever to progress into the Championship 4 and having won at Homestead-Miami in the past will give him such much-needed confidence. With his winless streak extending to over 10 races, all Hamlin needs to do is rediscover his form and get a result on the 1.5-mile track in the coming weekend. Easier said than done though, right?