Denny Hamlin “very upset” after crashing in Martinsville practice, slams his helmet on the car

Denny Hamlin expressed his frustrations after crashing in the practice session at Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin slammed his helmet on the No. 11 car as the driver headed back to his hauler.

Hamlin is a veteran NASCAR Cup Series driver under Joe Gibbs Racing fighting to keep his playoff hopes alive amid elimination in the Round of 8. He is sixth in the playoff standings and 18 points below the bubble behind Kyle Larson (-7).

Per NASCAR insider Noah Lewis on X, Denny Hamlin was ‘very upset’ following the session-ending incident in turn 3 at Martinsville Speedway.

“VERY upset @DennyHamlin slams his helmet down after practice crash,” Lewis wrote.

With Denny Hamlin failing to clock laps in the qualifying session, the driver will have to start at the back of the field in the race. While initial reports suggested Hamlin could compete in the backup car, the team will repair the damaged car for Sunday’s race.

When asked about his crash, the 43-year-old driver said the No. 11 Toyota Camry had a throttle issue, which prevented him from slowing down.

“The car didn’t slow down and the throttle hung on us,” Hamlin told NBC Sports. [0:15]

“Chris [No. 11 crew chief] sent me a picture, and there was a large chunk right in the throttle body that was still sitting there when we pulled in here.” [0:50]

Only two spots are left in the Championship 4 as Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick punched their tickets to the championship race after winning one race each in the Round of 8.

The No. 11 car in the practice session at Martinsville Speedway - Source: Imagn

Christopher Bell and William Byron are the drivers above the elimination line. Meanwhile, the drivers below the bubble are Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott.

---

Denny Hamlin reflected on his three-way battle for the win at Homestead-Miami

During the final lap of the Homestead-Miami race, Denny Hamlin was in P2 between Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney. Reddick passed him from the outside before the No. 45 23XI driver took the lead from Blaney from the inside to win the race.

In the latest episode of Hamlin’s Actions Detrimental podcast, the driver reflected on the race, saying he slowed down to prevent crashing due to Reddick’s aggressive driving and low grip conditions on the 1.5-mile track.

“So I slow down to [...] keep an ability for me to maneuver when these two get together, because I was very surprised they didn't come off the corner, side by side, door banging. But the 45 just had so much speed. He ripped the door numbers off the 12," explained Denny Hamlin. [00:27]

Hamlin settled for a P3 finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway behind NASCAR Cup Series defending champion Ryan Blaney. He walked away with 48 points after scoring stage points including a stage 2 win.

However, the 54-time Cup winner is still on the brink of elimination heading to the penultimate race at Martinsville Speedway. If the driver advances to the next round, he will return to the Championship 4 contention for the first time since 2021.