Denny Hamlin addresses playoff elimination risk amid charter drama: "I don't love where I'm at"

Denny Hamlin is currently struggling this season, with his points total only slightly above the cutline. He also faces the added pressure of a recent penalty from a previous race and ongoing NASCAR charter negotiations.

Michael Jordan and Hamlin's team 23XI Racing recently refused to sign NASCAR's team charter last week. Hamlin called the proposed deal "one-sided," and said that the team wanted a fair chance to negotiate the agreement.

Additionally, Hamlin was recently penalized for a race that he won this March at the Bristol Motor Speedway as his engine was rebuilt before NASCAR could check it. The driver and his team were penalized as a result of the violation, and he lost 10 playoff points and 75 regular season points last month. This dropped him from fourth to seventh in the standings, losing 13 playoff points overall.

Last weekend in Atlanta, Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota suffered a power issue that forced him to start at the back of the 38-car field. The 42-year-old ultimately finished the race with a crash and a disappointing 24th-place finish.

This weekend in Watkins Glen, the 43-year-old is feeling the heat as he faces the risk of being eliminated from the playoffs. In a recent media interaction, Hamlin talked about his playoff hopes and strategy.

"I mean, certainly I don't love where I'm at that's, that's, that's a given. But I still think if I just do the best I can tomorrow, do the best I can on at Bristol, it still will work itself out. But if it doesn't, it doesn't, I mean, my number one goals is it's getting to a wind tunnel, and I got plenty of races to do that, so I'm going to try to win at least two races in this playoffs, and hopefully they count towards something," Hamlin said.

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Denny Hamlin talks about his spin during practice at Watkins Glen

Denny Hamlin spun out his No. 11 Toyota during practice at the seven-turn Watkins Glen but was still the fifth-fastest driver of the day. Discussing the spin, Hamlin explained that he was pushing his car to its limits using old tires to gain a better understanding of its performance.

"Just trying to get more, just trying to find the limit. With that old of tires, I think I had about 14 laps on them at the time, just if you're going to make a mistake, do it, then try to find the limit. That way I can use that information," he said.

Hamlin will start in 22nd place on the road course at Watkins Glen International this Sunday at 3pm ET.