"We are the most dangerous" - Denny Hamlin's crew chief compares team to a 'venomous snake laying in the grass'

Denny Hamlin's streak of bad luck is still going strong. As the NASCAR Cup Series regular season approaches the halfway mark, Hamlin's team's strategy has undergone some alterations.

Denny Hamlin had yet another disappointing race at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. However, when his damaged car was placed onto the Joe Gibbs Racing Transporter, crew chief Christopher Gabehart examined the situation of the #11 squad a third of the way through the Cup season and told NCB Sports:

“I am convinced that we are the most dangerous… 22nd-place point’s team in the history of the sport. I am convinced that we are the most venomous snake laying in the grass. Any week we can jump up and turn this thing on its ear. We could have won last week. We could have won this week.”

A slow pit stop put Hamlin deep in the field and directly into the path of a multi-car pileup, thereby derailing his race. Despite having one of the fastest cars on the track, Hamlin was left with his second consecutive 21st-place result. He hasn't finished in the top ten all season, saving for a win in Richmond in early April.

Hamlin credited his confidence in his performance to the 67 laps he led at Dover, as well as his average running position, which, he claimed, compares favorably to Chase Elliott's, who is the current points leader.

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Denny Hamlin's crew chief is expected to be suspended for four races

Joe Gibbs Racing faces yet another challenge this year. Gabehart will be suspended for four races due to the wheel that came off of Hamlin's car at Dover. Joe Gibbs Racing is looking to appeal the penalty, however, Gabehart is aware that he may not be back on track anytime soon.

Hamlin's crew got him off the pit road first under caution at the end of the stage, allowing him to go from the back of the field at the start of the race to being in command of the event. Due to Alex Bowman's incident, Hamlin's race was called off, since a few cars in front of him had yet to pit.

According to Gabehart, the pit gun did not reset when the tire changer removed the lug nut to replace the tires. Hamlin's car was damaged in the nine-car incident following the restart, stranding him in the middle of the pack.

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Despite the slew of bad luck, Joe Gibbs Racing remains optimistic about the rest of their season.