Denny Hamlin just took a frustrating 16th-place hit at Las Vegas, giving up a brutal 16 points to leader Kyle Larson in The Chase standings. That puts him a full 40 points behind Larson, even though he’s still holding onto second overall. This ain’t the run we expected from our top seed, is it?
The Chase Has Been Anything But Smooth Sailing
Hamlin, a guy with 64 career Cup victories who is still chasing that elusive first Cup title, came into this 10-race Chase as the top dog. Everyone thought this was *it*. But, man, he just hasn’t performed at his best. His finishes have been a rollercoaster of 18th, ninth, eighth, third, and now that gut-wrenching 16th. You can hear the frustration in his voice, telling reporters, “Definitely not smooth [in The Chase]. We haven’t had any disaster days, but we certainly have had our fair share of not performing.”
That Vegas race was a prime example of things just *not* going his way. His team gave up the lead in the opening stage by pitting, which threw him back to 10th and right into traffic. He fought his way up to fourth, only to spin out in the marbles, dinging the underbody of the car. And just when it looked like he might salvage a respectable finish, his fuel pressure cut off under caution. That cost him several more spots before the final stage even kicked off. He himself said they were “obviously leaving a bazillion points on the table considering where we were on speed before the wreck.” Ouch.
The Numbers Don’t Lie, But Hope Remains
Hamlin had a plan. He predicted he’d need to average 40 points a race to have a real shot at the title. That’s what he was averaging during his “really good regular season.” But so far in The Chase, he’s only hitting 35.6 points per race. Kyle Larson? He’s blowing that out of the water, averaging a massive 54.6. That’s the kind of performance Hamlin talked about, the kind that can “negate kind of what they did in the first 25” races.
Hamlin’s not wrong when he says, “You’ve just got to play the ball from where it lies.” And right now, where it lies is a 40-point deficit. But don’t count him out just yet! There are five races left in The Chase, and Hamlin has shown serious strength at the kinds of tracks coming up. He was third at Charlotte earlier this year, fifth at Phoenix, and second at Martinsville. All three of those tracks are still on the schedule. He’s also known to focus strictly on his driving role at Joe Gibbs Racing during the postseason, putting his 23XI Racing co-ownership duties on the back burner.
This title is still there for the taking, but Hamlin absolutely has to flip the script. He needs to channel those strong regular season vibes and perform at his best in these final five races. He’s not driving to a point total, he’s “driving to try to get the best result and then stack as many points as we can.” And for the sake of his first Cup title, he better stack ’em high.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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