Denny Hamlin crew chief Chris Gabehart sends pointed message after Watkins Glen
The Round of 16 has been a disaster for Denny Hamlin over the past two weeks, but the confidence his crew chief Chris Gabehart has in him remains unshaken.
It’s been a rough stretch for the No. 11 team after they looked like the top group in the Cup Series for a majority of the regular season. Since being hit with a major points penalty due to no fault of their own, Hamlin has finished P24 at Atlanta, and P23 at Watkins-Glen, and now the team finds themselves six points below the cut-line for the Round of 12 entering Bristol.
Evidently, Gabehart doesn’t believe that’s a deficit worth stressing over for Hamlin’s team. The driver has been phenomenal at Bristol, winning the last two races at The Last Great Coliseum, and Gabehart reminded Hamlin of the team’s dominance in Tennessee as Watkins-Glen came to a close.
“That is going to our house,” Gabehart told Hamlin, believing Bristol will be the track where the No. 11 team gets back on track, via NBC Sports. “ … We are six behind. That is going to our house.”
It’s tough to argue with Gabehart’s confidence, as Bristol is the perfect track for Hamlin to showcase why he’s one of the sport’s best drivers. Still, the No. 11 remains in danger of missing the Round of 12 and his chance for his first Cup Series title, which would be a shocking turn of events if it comes to fruition.
Even with his two subpar finishes in the Round of 16, it’s evident Hamlin is still a believer in himself to get his team to the next round: “It’s not over yet. Not over yet. Not over until the end of Bristol,” he said, regarding his chances of making the next round of the playoffs.
If history is any indicator, Hamlin will likely have an awesome day at Bristol, as it’s arguably his best track on the schedule. Still, unforeseen challenges present themselves, as Hamlin explained following his latest disappointing performance on Sunday.
“This has just been a bad stretch,” added Hamlin, following his P23 finish in New York, marking the eighth time in the last 13 races he’s placed 23rd or worse. “I wish I could say I controlled more of it.
“Definitely my fault in qualifying, I put us in a bad spot there and it put us right in the middle of where the crashes are. So can’t complain if I’m involved.”
Alas, Denny Hamlin and Chris Gabehart have been one of the best driver-crew chief combinations in the sport over the past couple of seasons, but they’ll have to put their money where their mouth is at Bristol. It’s the perfect track for the Joe Gibbs Racing team to rebound, and that’s exactly what the No. 11 will be hoping to do before the Round of 16 ends in Tennessee.