"This will be the X-factor" - Denny Hamlin worried about new tire's impact on Watkins Glen playoff race strategy

Denny Hamlin aired his concerns over how the new tires will impact the qualifying session at Watkins Glen. On his latest Actions Detrimental podcast episode, he said clocking a fast lap in the first runs will be the X-factor considering the tires are expected to wear out quickly.

Hamlin is a 43-year-old driver for Joe Gibbs Racing who has been competing in NASCAR full-time since 2006. He is part of this year’s 16-driver playoff grid, with the Go Bowling at The Glen next on the calendar.

The new tire compound courtesy of Goodyear is expected to create a three-second fall-off over the course of a run. As such, Denny Hamlin said drivers should aim to deliver their best lap time early on in the qualifying session to avoid the expected fall-off.

“Watkins Glen, with the tire that we did have, there was no detriment to running multiple times. Now, this will be the X factor, is that with this new tire, if it truly does wear out as quick as they’re talking about, you’re going to have one shot at it, because if you have to go out and re-run again. The lap time likely it’s just going to be so far off,” Hamlin said.

Denny Hamlin also talked about how going out for more cycles made tires faster in last year’s Watkins Glen race, saying:

“So, I remember last year that the more times that you ran on the tires, the more cycles you put on it, it just kept getting faster. But this one doesn’t sound like it’s going to be like that.”

With the expected tire fall-off, starting at the pole position should provide a huge advantage. The race weekend should also see critical strategy calls, with drivers like Hamlin paying more attention to tire management.

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Denny Hamlin looks to shake off controversial P24 finish in Atlanta heading to Watkins Glen

Denny Hamlin finished P24 in the Quaker State 400 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway after a strategy call of staying at the back of the pack in anticipation of a wreck. The strategy was slammed by critics, with Kyle Petty left ‘confused’ with the JGR driver’s performance.

Regardless, Hamlin remains hopeful about his playoff run. On the same podcast episode, the 54-time Cup Series race winner shared what he thinks about the next two races at Watkins Glen and Bristol.

“But I know that the next two tracks, tires are going to be a big thing. At Watkins Glen, we've got a new tire going there that's got seconds of fall off apparently, and if that's the case then you could be at the good end or bad end of that. Then you've got Bristol, you don't know that we're going to have a race like the spring or a race like the fall,” Hamlin said.

“Either way, we won those two races. So again, if I can just hold myself above water going to Bristol, I feel very confident we're going to go out there and perform well," he added.

The Watkins Glen stop will be the next race of the Round of 16 and is scheduled for September 15.