Denny Hamlin's eyes set on deep playoff run after narrowly avoiding the first elimination round - "We expect a heck of a lot more"

Denny Hamlin has moved a step closer to his maiden Cup Series championship after narrowly qualifying with a fourth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. After two underwhelming races in the 2024 playoff rounds, Hamlin recoups and resets for the upcoming Round of 12 races.

Speaking with Bob Pockrass in a post-race interview, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was asked if there was a sense of accomplishment after qualifying in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. To this, the 43-year-old Hamlin said:

"I mean, yeah, it's an accomplishment. I mean, I tell you, making the first round. I didn't ever think would be a goal, but certainly after the first two races, it feels good. It certainly feels good."

The veteran Cup Series driver then continued:

"But we expect a heck of a lot more than just making the first round. Now, we expect to go deep and get to some of these tracks where we're gonna shine."

In his first two races of the Round of 16, Hamlin finished outside the top 20. He had a P24 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and a P23 at Watkins Glen International. However, a recent top-five finish at the track where he claimed this season's first win, has certainly boosted his momentum for the upcoming races.

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"It's all offense" - Denny Hamlin on his next stop at Kansas for Round of 12

The three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin is optimistic about his next race in Kansas, where he had a top-five finish earlier this season. After a recent P4 finish at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hamlin reflected on his "aspirations" for the track where he last became victorious.

In a post-race interview, Hamlin said:

"My aspirations was to win it, you know, but it looked like the #5[Kyle Larson] there just was better than all of us. Yeah, solid car. I thought we were really good towards the middle stages. And then there at the end just got too loose and couldn't hang on to kind of what we had there. But overall top five day. Good stage points, kind of in the mix."

Moreover, while discussing his gameplan for the upcoming race, Hamlin added:

"Certainly I mean, it's all offense from this point forward, so yeah, we're going to Kansas, the track we've been really really good at. Yeah, I'm looking forward to the rest of the run."

After accumulating 46 points at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hamlin is placed in sixth place and is seven points above the playoff cutline. His teammate, Christopher Bell, is 24 points above the line and at second spot in the playoff picture.

The Round of 16 witnessed two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs, fail to qualify. Moreover, Harrison Burton and Brad Keselowski have parted ways in their run for the championship.

The next three races of the Round of 12 will be held at Kansas, Talladega, and Charlotte road course on Sep 29, Oct 6, and Oct 13, respectively.