Denny Hamlin reacts to NASCAR Cup Series playoff field, ‘wild’ schedule
Denny Hamlin is looking forward to competing in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs which begin on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin shared his reaction to the playoff field and the schedule.
“The field is kind of spread out. You do have all four Hendrick, all four JGR [Joe Gibbs Racing] cars and then you got some one or two from each organization hear and there, couple Penske cars” Hamlin said. “It’s going to be a wild playoffs, no doubt about it. I think the schedule more lends itself to being pretty wild playoffs more than anything.”
Hamlin clinched a playoff spot earlier in the year and is in sixth place in the playoff standings. He was as high as third, but NASCAR penalized his team for an engine inspection violation, leading him to lose 10 playoff points. Hamlin is one of the four JGR drivers in the playoffs with the other three being Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr.
Why Denny Hamlin won’t appeal NASCAR penalty
While speaking on Actions Detrimental last week, Hamlin explained why his team won’t appeal the peanlty to get some of the points back. “Yeah, you could, but what are you going to appeal? It’s black and white, right? It doesn’t matter about the intent, right?” Hamlin said, regarding whether he would appeal the penalty. “I mean, when it comes to wrecking, yes, intent matters, but not, you know, when you have a rules infraction, and it basically, what happened was black and white in a rule book, there’s just nothing to — there’s nothing to dispute.
“We can all talk about how unjust or unfair it is to the race team, but we’re all one. You know, you can’t separate engine manufacturers and car owners and drivers. Like, it is all wrapped into one, right? You know, we’re all going to ride and die together.”
Hamlin is confident he can advance past the Round of 16 of the playoffs. But the Round of 12 could be more challenging for the 43-year-old driver.
“I need to go win Kansas. Yeah, need to go win Kansas. That’ll be my mindset, for sure,” Hamlin said. “But you know, if not, then I’ll, you know — I’m going to do the best I can, every single week. But obviously, it’s just a huge setback, with this type of format. It’s just — it’s a killer.”
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