"This format can ruin a season" - NASCAR insider examines Denny Hamlin's struggles in the current playoff system

Denny Hamlin's playoff woes continued in the Round of 12 as pit road struggles kept him out of contention for the victory at Kansas Speedway. Hamlin vented his frustration after recurring pit road issues despite securing a solid eighth-place finish.

After a grueling day at Kansas, having rallied through the field multiple times, the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver expressed his frustration by admitting that "he wasn't in it mentally." He summed up the outing as a disappointing day despite having a car capable of winning the race.

"I'm not in it mentally, I can tell you that. There are lots of wires crossed and bolts loose at the moment. But what can you do? I'll just do the best I can to drive the car," Hamlin told Bob Pockrass.

Much was made of Hamlin's post-race comments, with Kevin Harvick criticizing the veteran JGR driver on his Happy Hour Podcast. Hamlin's remarks raised concern among fans about his mentality in recent weeks given the external factors, including 23XI Racing's lawsuit against NASCAR.

Bob Pockrass suggested that Hamlin was flustered after the Kansas race but was mentally in the game as he made up the lost track position. Pockrass additionally mentioned that three-round elimination playoffs don't suit drivers like Hamlin, who are consistently strong over a season.

"For a driver who is consistently strong, this format can ruin a season where he has run well. The three-race round favors those who get a little bit of luck and/or racing at a few of their better tracks. It doesn't reward consistent strength. It rewards getting hot at the right time. And it's not just the driver who has to be on a hot streak. The pit crew, too," an excerpt from his recent blog read.

Pockrass concluded that one shouldn't worry about Denny Hamlin's mentality in the playoffs. Hamlin enters the Talladega weekend 11 points above the cutline, with Charlotte Roval marking the cut-off race for the Round of 12.

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Denny Hamlin elaborates on his approach for Talladega Playoff race

Denny Hamlin's conservative strategy at Atlanta didn't yield the expected dividends earlier in the playoffs, putting the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing team on the brink of elimination. Having advanced to the next round, Hamlin will be adopting an aggressive strategy for Talladega.

The 43-year-old emphasized that teamwork among the Toyota drivers during pit stops will be crucial, along with effectively avoiding wrecks. He was quoted by SpeedwayDigest.com as saying:

"We have to be smart and be aggressive. It's going to be an execution race trying to put yourself in the right position around the pit stops, when you pit, and how fast you can get formed back up in your group. Then, obviously you will have to miss the wrecks. That has been our biggest issue at these tracks this year is just getting caught in other people's mistakes."

"So hopefully we can get some stage points early on and then be able to be aggressive later in the race, but overall, it's going to come down to executing and then needing some luck," he added.

Denny Hamlin is a two-time winner at Talladega and has two top-five finishes at the 2.66-mile oval in the Next-Gen era. The YellaWood 500 is scheduled for this Sunday, October 6 at 2:00 PM ET.