Will Danny Hamlin be the NASCAR championship favorite after the playoffs?
📷👸🎥
Denny Hamlin has been strong in the NASCAR playoffs. Is he slowly becoming a 2021 NASCAR title favorite? The Joe Gibbs driver has already sealed the victory in the quarter-finals, so can he go all the way and finally win the championship he desires?
Hamlin out of luck in NASCAR regular season
Just a few weeks ago, Denny Hamlin was in an uncomfortable position.
With three rounds remaining in the NASCAR regular season, he’s still not locked into the playoffs.
#11 didn’t win as the other 13 riders held the checkered flag to book their playoff spots.
In the “win-win” nature, Hamlin would not have advanced if the three new drivers won the final three rounds.
Fortunately for him and his Joe Gibbs team, he sealed the points after the Indianapolis road race, but that victory proved elusive.
Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Teammates Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr and Christopher Bell had six between them as JGR dominated the 750bhp pack short circuit.
Hamlin finished in the top 10 18 times in the regular season. He certainly wasn’t lacking in speed, just lucked out at the end – like Chase Briscoe, who was penalized at Indy, weakened.
Denny Hamlin drivers in NASCAR playoffs so far
In four playoff races this season, Hamlin has been the dominant driver.
He led 146 laps at Darlington, 197 at Richmond, 65 at Bristol and 137 at Las Vegas.
He’s been fighting to win every playoff game.
“We know it’s our ability,” he said after his second win of the season in Las Vegas.
His first game was in Game 1 of the Southern 500 playoffs.
“Really, we’ve been showing this all year. It shows the laps leading, the top five, the top 10.
“For whatever reason, whether it was bad luck, or we made mistakes ourselves, we didn’t have all the wins we’ve had in the past.”
Photo by Meg Olyphant/Getty Images
The importance of winning in Vegas and securing a place in the 8th round didn’t lose crew captain Chris Gaberhardt.
Following Vegas on the schedule are Talladega — always a fun game — and Charlotte Rovers’ Joker.
It is crucial for the riders to book a semi-final spot on the first try.
“Winning any game in the playoffs is such an advantage, but certainly the first game of any round,” explained Gaberhardt.
“Especially this round, when you look at Talladega and Charlotte, you can’t get enough pressure.
“Each of these racing teams is professional so they can handle the pressure and the pressure.
“They deal with it. But it’s there. It’s there. You can’t look past it, it’s real.
Hamlin already considering a playoff semifinal
Now that Hamlin is in the semifinals, he can prepare for Kansas, Texas and Martinsville.
That was two 550-horsepower races and a 750-horsepower race in Martinsville.
The 550 low-power/high-downforce track is usually in reserve for Hendrick Motorsports this season.
JGR is usually the domain of the 750 high power/low downforce races.
Photo by Sam Morris/LVMS via Icon Sportswire
Two of Truex’s three victories came in the spring in Martinsville and Phoenix — the latter being the title tiebreaker in November.
Hamlin in “Playoff Mode”
“I think we made some progress on the 550 track throughout the summer,” Hamlin explained.
“For the first two years of my relationship with Chris, it really was our livelihood on Team #11.
“I think we’ve really put a lot of emphasis on the off-season, trying to get better in the 750s.
“Chris knew I didn’t like the short track, so they took that very seriously.
“We’re still taking steps and striding forward and I’m sure trying to match them.
“It’s very close. I never thought we would be worse than the third to fourth cars on these tracks all year.
“It’s just that we got the deal done [at Las Vegas]. “
“We’ve been in playoff mode for a while.
“I’m more looking forward to it now than worrying about all the hypotheses that might happen that might take you out.
“In my career, I’ve been through almost all assumptions.
“It’s good to know we have nothing to lose at the moment.”
Photo by Chris Grayson/Getty Images
Is the timing right for Danny Hamlin to peak in the NASCAR playoffs?
Momentum in the playoffs is a very fickle thing. It can be broken as easily as it can be acquired.
Take 2020 for example: Kevin Harvick is the main driver for the series. He has nine wins in total and looks certain to be in the final four.
Meanwhile, Chase Elliott has had a decent season and has a group of drivers who could have advanced from the semifinals.
Harvick’s form was abandoned in the semifinals, and #4 was eliminated in Martinsville.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Elliott won the knockout round of the semifinals in Martinsville and won the title again in Phoenix.
This is something Hamlin is wary of.
“You have to play,” he said.
“We dominated last year. Harvick dominated last year. He didn’t even make it to the semi-finals.
“We squeezed into fourth. That’s the speed of the car we have.
“I just think it’s hard to predict. This title was won in one game.
“It’s very different from before.
“Our goal this year is to be in the top four because it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen in a particular game.”
So, can Hamlin finally claim that elusive crown?
Hamlin has 46 career wins. That’s the most of any driver who has never won a cup.
Although he has three Daytona 500 victories and is Hall of Famer credentials, the one thing missing from his resume is a cup championship.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Hamlin has nothing to prove to anyone. But a cup win and at least three Daytona 500s would be an amazing career.
In its 2021 playoff predictions, focus Hamlin was out in the quarterfinals, not through any fault of his own, but because everyone else had better momentum at the time.
Hamlin has dragged himself out of the hole late in the playoffs before — see 2019.
Given his current form and JGR’s growing momentum, Hamlin should at least be considered Kyle Larson’s favorite — he’s all good and should be in the championship game.
Should the 40-year-old be in the Arizona State matchup, and what are his thoughts?
“Favorite? I don’t know.
“[But] I love our chances on the Phoenix track, that’s for sure…”
Photo by Jonathan Ferry/Getty Images
Is there anything to tell us about this article?
Jack usually writes or reads anything related to motorsport – from Formula 1 to NASCAR to British truck racing. His work as a motorsport reporter has been published in prestigious media such as Autosport, Motorsport.com and Motorsport News. In addition to racing, he is an avid amateur astronomer, podcast listener, and enjoys walks in the park with his three dogs.
Who are Jonker Jones’ parents after the Connecticut Suns forward won the WNBA MVP?This 2021 musical explores the personal life of the late Joan Joyce
Find more articles in our categories Celebrity & News et Wiki.
Thanks for visiting we hope our article Will Danny Hamlin be the NASCAR championship favorite after the playoffs?
, help us and share the article on Facebook, twitter and whatsapp with the hashtag ☑️ #Danny #Hamlin #NASCAR #championship #favorite #playoffs ☑️!