"That's not racing": Denny Hamlin’s crew chief slams rivals for creating "mess" during final stage cautions

Denny Hamlin's crew chief, Chris Gabehart, recently expressed his dissatisfaction with the aggressive tactics of their competitors, attributing them as the cause of #11's recent troubles on the track. Gabehart acknowledged that while bumping and drifting might enhance the excitement of the sport, it places undue pressure on the drivers, which he believes detracts from the essence of racing.

Denny Hamlin, who had won three races in the regular season at Bristol, Richmond, and Dover, started the playoffs in a strong position at P6. However, a collision at Atlanta relegated him to a P24 finish, causing him to slide down to P11 in the playoff standings. The situation worsened after the JGR driver was involved in two additional wrecks at Watkins Glen, further dropping him to one of the lowest positions among the top 16 drivers.

Reflecting on the incidents at both playoff races, where Denny Hamlin was caught in wrecks, not of his making, Gabehart shared his thoughts on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, emphasizing that these events were beyond Hamlin's control:

"Yeah, we unfortunately got caught up in somebody else's mess and... That's what I was most worried about qualifying where we ended up was was you know, it being out of our control early on and those restarts the initial one especially. We just made a mistake in qualifying.... We just missed turn one, and that's all it took. And we got into somebody else's wreck, but then we figured out a way to make the most of that."

"I guess quantitatively I've never raced with this much stakes on the line as a driver. And that's great. It makes for great sport. And you know, so it means everybody's got push really hard. There's a lot of line I get it, but. It sure seems like, the optics are starting to turn into bumper cars and that's not racing. So, I don't know what you do about it, but golly, it looks like a mess," he continued.

Denny Hamlin's prospects for advancing in the NASCAR Cup are now pinned on his performance at Bristol Motor Speedway. With an average finish of 13.6 at the venue and victories in the last two races there, his track record speaks volumes. However, should misfortune strike again in the form of another wreck, failing to overcome the six-point deficit would mean elimination from the playoffs, thwarting his progression to the Round of 12.

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Denny Hamlin’s crew chief is optimistic about their upcoming performance at Bristol Motor Speedway

Despite a challenging start to the playoffs for the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing team, Denny Hamlin's crew chief remains undeterred. With a six-point deficit, he maintains a composed outlook, emphasizing the team's strengths on familiar turf. He commented, as reported by NBC Sports,

"That is going to our house. [...] We are six behind. That is going to our house."

Denny Hamlin himself echoed the sentiment during his post-race interview, asserting,

"It’s not over yet. Not over yet. Not over until the end of Bristol.”

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol, set for September 21 at 7:30 PM ET, will mark a shift from March's daytime race, which started at 3:30 PM ET.