Denny Hamlin’s road to the Championship 4 got more complicated following Saturday’s practice crash at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Early on in the Cup Series’ lone practice session, Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota shot up the race track sideways in turn three as the rear of his race car tagged the outside wall.
“We had just made an adjustment to the car, it was doing everything it needed to do, it was maneuvering through the pack pretty well,” Hamlin began. “I went into turn three and the car just didn’t slow down and the throttle hung on us. That was… certainly caught me off guard. It happens, we just got unlucky.”
The wreck forced Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing team to begin making extensive repairs to his No. 11 Toyota. While the team did not elect to switch to a backup car, they were unable to complete a run in qualifying.
Hamlin cited rubber getting stuck in the throttle body as the reasoning for the crash.
“It was a large chunk right in the throttle body that was still sitting there when we pulled in here,” Hamlin stated.
He’ll start at the rear of the field in 37th.
Hamlin had the third-fastest lap time in his group prior to the crash.
“It’s hard enough to win these races straight up,” Hamlin said. “Even if you have the pole, it’s just hard to win. Our battle is gonna be very much uphill.”
As one of the remaining Round of 8 drivers vying for a spot in the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10, Hamlin entered this weekend 18 points below the cutline.
At the drop of the green flag on Sunday, his gap below the playoff cutline will certainly be larger, pinning Hamlin into a near must-win situation.
“Certainly, the chances of getting in on points now are done,” Hamlin said. “We just have to figure out a way to win the race.”