NASCAR
3rd Place Run in Brickyard 400 by Denny Hamlin Gives 11 Team Optimism Heading into the Playoffs
Coming into last weekend’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, Denny Hamlin and the 11 team were in need of a strong performance. So far in 2018, the Joe Gibbs Racing Fedex team had yet to win. This marks a 1 year anniversary since their last victory. While the 11 team did not win at the Brickyard, their strong effort gives reason for this team to be hopeful in the Playoffs.
11 Team’s Streaky Season So Far
In the past 5 races, Denny Hamlin and the 11 team have started from the pole 3 times. 2 of those days would end with the 11 team in the top 10. The results for this team have been uncharacteristic of the perennial Playoff contender. Car number 11 has 7 top 5s, 14 top 10s, and 307 laps led so far in the 2018 season. This effort in the Regular Season placed them 10th in the pre-Playoff points.
Strong Strategy Call Leads to Near-Win at Indy
With 35 laps remaining in Sunday’s Brickyard 400, Crew Chief Mike Wheeler called Denny Hamlin in for his final pit stop while running 2nd. This was a daring call by Wheeler, as then-race-leader Clint Bowyer was forced to pit 2 laps later. This call saw the 11 leapfrog the 14 on track, putting the JGR Toyota out front.
Up until an untimely caution with 7 laps to go, the Brickyard 400 looked to be Denny’s to win. This would have marked his 1st win of 2018 and his 1st Indianapolis win.
Coming to the white flag after the restart, Brad Keselowski passed Denny Hamlin with 15-lap fresher tires. Hamlin would fade back to finish 3rd, behind teammate Erik Jones.
Playoff Outlook for Hamlin, 11 Team
At the 13th seed entering the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs, Denny Hamlin and the 11 team have quite the deficit in bonus points. However, this team has had speed in recent weeks. They have primarily lacked in execution by not putting a whole race together.
This weekend’s Playoff opening race will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, another track where the 11 team is winless. While many drivers are dreading the predicted triple digit temperatures on race day, Hamlin is embracing them. At Playoff media day on Thursday, Hamlin was eager to hit the hot and slick racetrack. With this optimism, Hamlin may be in store for a strong run on Sunday.
Next week will see the Playoffs take to Hamlin’s hometown track, Richmond Raceway. Denny and the 11 team have 3 wins at Richmond, most recently in 2016.
Just 4 years ago in 2014, Denny Hamlin and the 11 team made it to the Final 4 in Homestead with just 1 win. Is a similar Playoff run in store for Hamlin? We will have to see starting this weekend in Las Vegas.
Photo credit to Zach Catanzareti via Flickr.
