"What the f**k was he thinking?" - Denny Hamlin's Atlanta strategy called out by NASCAR Insider

Denny Hamlin finished in 24th place at Atlanta largely because of a combination of a points-focused strategy and a late-race wreck. Because of his finish and his position heading into the playoffs, Hamlin is now a couple of points above the cutline with two races left in the Round of 16.

Following the race, his strategy attracted criticism from within the NASCAR community. Former driver and analyst Kyle Petty said he was left baffled with the decision Denny Hamlin and his crew chief Chris Gabehart made for Atlanta.

More recently, NASCAR spotter Brett Griffin shared his thoughts on Hamlin's strategy. His remarks were on similar lines to Petty's.

In the latest episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Griffin said,

"What the f**k was he thinking? He rode around the back all day. He got no stage points, he got in a wreck, he's lucky he came out of here above the cutline. And he's one of the smartest superspeedway racers out there, obviously you could drive from the back to the front, we saw other drivers do it, including ...I think... his teammate Ty Gibbs[...] I think Denny's probably going to wish he had that one back" [46:25].

The spotter further spoke about what could be in store for Hamlin in the upcoming races at Watkins Glen and Bristol. Griffin said there was a possibility that Hamlin scores a high number of points at the Glen and head into Bristol, a track he's good at.

Or in another potential scenario, he could come away from the upcoming road course without enough points and head into the short track with a nervy mindset.

"Bristol is just like Atlanta, you can can get caught in somebody else's wreck very very easily," Griffin added.

Griffin added he was surprised with the strategy Hamlin and his crew chief took in Atlanta, and wondered if it was all down to the driver and not Gabehart.

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"Just gave a race away essentially" - NASCAR insider on Denny Hamlin's Atlanta strategy

Following Brett Griffin's take on Denny Hamlin's strategy at Atlanta, his co-host Freddie Kraft also shared his take on the subject.

Kraft, the spotter of Bubba Wallace, said that with his strategy and result, Denny Hamlin had "forfeited the gap he had" heading into the playoffs.

Kraft said,

"He just forfeited the gap he had. He came in with like a 15-point gap to the cutline and now he's 1 or 2 points ahead of Brad Keselowski. Now you just gave a race away, essentially.

I get it, you gain points on Kyle Larson who wrecked, you gain 12 points. And to top it all off, you ride around the back so you don't get in a wreck[...] and then he wrecks on the last lap," (49:00).

Wallace's spotter further revealed that driving back to the airport from Atlanta, he heard some fans being upset about having spent their money to see "their favorite driver race, who never raced."

Kraft asked if Hamlin should care about fans being upset or whether he should simply focus on the big picture. Griffin speculated that while Hamlin probably doesn't care about it, the fans do, and if the fans are upset, they could switch their allegiance to a different driver.