After his four wins in the regular season, fans certainly had big expectations from Denny Hamlin as NASCAR headed to the playoffs. And the No. 11 Toyota did not disappoint.
In the second week of the playoffs season itself, Hamlin made the headlines twice, once when he won the pole and again when he arrived in the victory lane at the Gateway. With his berth for the next round secured, Hamlin has eyes on making the most of the Bristol weekend.
The 44-year-old, who happens to be one of the most experienced and accomplished drivers on the track, recently explained what it takes to shine on the short track and shed light on the infamous ‘Bristol Trap’ that drivers must avoid.
Denny Hamlin’s Assessment of Bristol and His Warning for Other Drivers
On “Actions Detrimental,” Hamlin and his co-host, Jared Allen, broke down the No. 11 driver’s Gateway win and laid out the road map for the remainder of the playoff season. Beginning with Bristol, where Hamlin tops the stats chart after Kyle Larson, the 44-year-old revealed he is eyeing a win over the weekend.
While Hamlin spoke about his expectations from Bristol, he underlined one of the major traps drivers often fall prey to on the 0.533-mile oval. The Joe Gibbs Racing star said, “I’ve said it all weekend, and I believe it to be true – it’s [Bristol] just a very tough track to race scared.” His definition of fear for the Bristol track deviated slightly from the conventional meaning.
He explained, “Racing scared means looking at points. Knowing that, ‘Oh, I can’t bust my a** here, get into the wall, bend a toe link, and finish 30th. If I do that, I risk not going to the next round.’”
Following this, Hamlin predicted drivers who he believed would race carefully at Bristol. The No. 11 driver believed Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric would be more careful than usual at the Bristol race on Saturday.
However, Hamlin believed being cautious at Bristol was a positive trait. He added, “If you’re not racing apprehensive, you’re an idiot because it’s just a track where you can find yourself in a position you don’t want to be and get caught up in a wreck.”
According to the No. 11 driver, no driver leading by less than 20 points would be willing to take a risk at Bristol. The 44-year-old himself admitted not wanting to take that risk.
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The Joe Gibbs Racing driver concluded, “What this does is set you up to run mediocre. And the good news is that I see no one in the bottom four who is a threat and can go out there and score 50 points. I think they’re safe just based on who they’re racing.”
Hamlin, one of the most experienced names on the NASCAR grid, might very well be accurate in his judgment of Bristol. Plus, his experience of the short oval also gives him an added advantage over the rest of the field.