Denny Hamlin sees ‘opportunity’ at Martinsville despite points deficit
Despite being 17 points in the red, Denny Hamlin looks at Martinsville Speedway as an “opportunity” to do something great. He will have to earn points and maybe even win to advance to the NASCAR Championship 4. Good thing he’s right at home at the Paperclip.
With five wins at Martinsville in his career, Denny Hamlin knows how to get the job done. However, that fifth win came all the way back in 2015. He’s been great at the track since then but hasn’t won.
None of that matters for Denny right now. He has two top-5 finishes in his last two starts at the track and will try and add another if at all possible.
“There is an opportunity here,” Hamlin said to the media. “Certainly, we have had our backs against the wall in these situations where we’ve kind of needed to win or we really needed to gain a lot of points to make it to the final four.
“Historically, we’ve done really well in these situations. Short of Ross’ move last year we were behind and dominated and were well on our way. 2019 winning at Phoenix to get in. We’ve done well. So I love those opportunities for sure. I wouldn’t choose it over being ahead like I said but certainly there’s an opportunity there to show what you’re made of.”
Good news for Denny Hamlin? The Hail Melon is now illegal so he won’t have to worry about a car speeding by him on the wall this year.
Denny Hamlin the favorite at Martinsville
More times than not, Denny Hamlin is going to be in the top-10 or top-5 at Martinsville. He does have mistakes. There are times when his car just isn’t up to the task and can’t get through traffic. However, I believe in Hamlin at the Paperclip.
I’m not sure we are going to see Hamlin win. Practice and qualifying will tell us a lot. There’s also the issue of William Byron being 30 points above the cutline. Really, there’s just a single spot that is “open” and it’s that fourth and final spot.
It isn’t just Hamlin racing for it, either. He’s competing with Martin Truex Jr., with Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Chris Buescher. Buescher is in must-win territory more than 40 points below the cutline. Still, wilder things have happened at this track.
Elimination makes drivers do crazy things. Denny Hamlin is hoping that he doesn’t have to do anything desperate. Go out, run your race, and hope for the best. It helps that Hamlin is the odds-on favorite heading into the qualifying session.
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