Denny Hamlin has been unstoppable this season, and there’s no doubt about that. With five wins, Hamlin is the winningest driver and leads the playoffs. However, his #11 team has faced a setback after the Bristol incident.
But Joe Gibbs Racing is doing all it can to salvage the situation and prevent it from derailing Hamlin’s playoff run, which could potentially lead to a championship. Hamlin has a history of something always ruining his championship run. Could it be the Bristol incident for 2025?
What Are JGR and Denny Hamlin’s Plans After the Bristol Incident?
In the 2025 season, Joe Gibbs Racing has been the most successful among the big three. Be it Christopher Bell kicking off their campaign strong, with three consecutive wins, or Chase Briscoe dominating in the #19 car. He has bagged six pole starts this season, the highest among the lot. Lastly, at 44 years old, Hamlin is still in top form.
In fact, JGR swept round one of the playoffs: Briscoe won the playoff opener at Darlington, Hamlin won at Gateway, and Bell won the Bristol eliminator. Speaking of Bristol, all JGR cars were having a stellar run. All four drivers led laps, with Ty Gibbs leading the maximum: 201. However, in the final stage, Hamlin’s car seemed to struggle, and the unfortunate incident happened.
Hamlin’s car got into the pole sitter, AJ Allmendinger’s #16 car. Also, Hamlin’s right front tire dislodged and rolled down the track. Now, what’s uncertain is whether the tire got loose because of the contact with Allemendinger or whether the contact occurred because the tire was loosely fitted. While NASCAR believes the latter, JGR has been claiming that the incident caused the tire to be loose.
Regardless, Hamlin received a two-lap penalty for this, but wasn’t only penalized. His front tire changer, Austin Maloney, and jackman Joel Bouagnon were also suspended for the next two races for the incident.
This penalty could be huge for the Hamlin faction, especially at such a crucial time in the season. The field is now down to twelve drivers, with New Hampshire Motor Speedway being the first race of the next round. While Hamlin is headed there as the top-seeded driver, not having the crew that he’s dominated with the whole season could be detrimental.
That’s probably why JGR is making the best of the situation. While Maloney and Bouagnon will have to sit out for two races, it does not have to be the immediate next two. So, they’ll be on the #11 team at NHMS, but would be out for the two that follow that: Kansas Speedway and then the eliminator at Charlotte Roval.
JGR will defer the Hamlin pit crew suspensions for one week, so Hamlin will have his regular crew for New Hampshire and two replacement crew members for Kansas and the Charlotte road course.
As expected, Denny Hamlin tire changer Austin Maloney and jackman Joel Bouagnon suspended for two races for wheel coming off at Bristol.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 16, 2025
While Hamlin is 26 points to the good, it might not be enough to get him through. So he needs a couple of good finishes. The move is mostly because the Hamlin faction wants a good start to the Round of 12. The best-case scenario would be to win the New Hampshire race. Since it would automatically lock him in the round of eight, the penalty would not cause much harm.
Only time will tell what happens and if Hamlin can continue his championship run.