Denny Hamlin is below the cutline heading into Saturday night's elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This isn't an ideal situation, but the veteran driver knows that he is in control.
Hamlin faces a six-point deficit heading into the final race of the Round of 16. He is the first driver out of a playoff spot, and he is just behind teammate Ty Gibbs. Hamlin can overcome this deficit over 500 laps, but his focus remains on another objective.
"I feel like we can go to Bristol and win," Hamlin said in a release from Joe Gibbs Racing. "We can control our own destiny there.
"If we can run in the top two or three all day and score stage points and be there at the end like we are capable of doing, then I feel good about it."
One reason for Hamllin's confidence could be his experience and success at Bristol Motor Speedway. He has made 34 Cup Series starts at the Last Great Colosseum, and he has visited victory lane four times. This includes last season's playoff race at Bristol.
"Hey. I beat your favorite driver... all of them."@dennyhamlin responds to the crowd after winning at @ItsBristolBaby. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ybw6AaYeoU
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 17, 2023
Hamlin has also posted 11 top-five finishes and 18 top-10s.
The most recent win was this season. Hamlin led 163 laps during a race in which Cup Series teams saw an unexpected amount of tire wear. He led a 1-2-3 finish featuring two other drivers currently below the cutline, Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski.
A surprising penalty for an engine violation negated this Bristol win, but the race itself showed that Hamlin could take control under unique circumstances and deliver at the Tennessee short track.
Hamlin will have to do so once again after an odd start to the playoffs in which he has been involved in three crashes and lost out on a flurry of points.
The downward trajectory began at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A plug issue in qualifying led to Hamlin starting at the rear of the field. He then struggled with an ill-handling car early before making the decision to remain near the rear of the field to avoid a potential wreck.
As a result, Hamlin missed out on points in the first two stages. He was then collected in a crash on the last lap of the race, which relegated him to a 24th-place finish. Hamlin fell short of the 20 points he wanted to collect, and he dropped to only two points above the cutline.
The issues continued at Watkins Glen as Hamlin was collected in an opening-lap crash. Corey LaJoie made contact with Kyle Busch and spun him, which kicked off a multi-car incident. Hamlin's No. 11 sustained damage, but he was able to continue in the race.
This was not the only incident out of Hamlin's control. He later spun into the outside wall after contact from Keselowski. Hamlin finished 23rd and fell below the cutline.