Denny Hamlin Defends His Team Despite Lack of Communication That May Hurt His Championship Push

Coming to Kansas, he raced Bubba Wallace hard in order to achieve his 60th win, but we saw how it only handed Chase Elliott the win. Despite qualifying 2nd, the 44-year-old could register no better finish than that, but his employee, on the other hand, suffered big time as he finished fifth after leading both the restarts.

Now coming into Las Vegas, the No. 11 Toyota driver will hope for a better run than he has had so far in the two playoff rounds. And if history is anything to go by, then it shouldn’t be too much of a struggle for in the 27 starts he has had in Las Vegas, he has won one time and finished in the top-5s 6 times while placing 13 times in the Top 10s.

Moreover, considering the playoff dynamics, Hamlin weighed whether he’d rather race Joey Logano or Ross Chastain at Phoenix, explaining, “I have no allegiance to any one of those cars, the 22 or the 1. I think the 22 has the better shot of winning Phoenix. But I can’t win Phoenix unless I get there first.” And Hamlin is absolutely right.

Joey Logano is one of the most feared drivers in the races at Phoenix thanks to his proven record at the track. He’s a two-time Phoenix winner (2022 and 2024) and consistently runs near the front, boasting an average finish of 12.3 with 2 top-5s and 3 top-10s in the Next-Gen era. To put it simply, Logano has a knack for rising at Phoenix when it counts. And Denny Hamlin wanted to ensure that he is there to challenge Logano and win that elusive championship when the moment comes.

But while Denny Hamlin relays no blame to his team for how things unfolded in Charlotte, there is one team owner who believes it was not the driver’s fault either.

Justin Marks doesn’t blame Denny Hamlin for Chastain’s exit

Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks wasted no time after the Charlotte Roval to make his stance clear. Denny Hamlin did not deserve blame for Ross Chastain’s brutal playoff elimination. “For all of us watching, it’s really easy to be looking at the scoring pylon and looking at the points and us making decisions in our mind that we think race car drivers are making decisions inside their car.”

Marks explained after the race. “Everybody’s out here to try to get the best finish and best result for their team, and I don’t think anybody really owes it to anybody else to try and help anybody else.” As heartbreak unfolded for Chastain, missing out on the Round of 8 by just four points, Marks pointed to the bigger picture. In fact, currently, Denny Hamlin leads the playoffs with 8 points, while the three-time Cup Series champion sits below the cutoff line with a 24-point deficit.

“Ultimately, at the end of the day, it was a bit self-inflicted today on the No. 1 team. We shouldn’t have been in the position that we were in, having to fight for one point on the last lap and having to throw Hail Marys and all that stuff,” he emphasized. Marks was referring to the costly pit road mistakes and procedural errors that left Chastain vulnerable when it mattered most.

Moreover, Marks celebrated Denny Hamlin’s honesty. “It’s nice to hear Denny say those things, but Denny’s doing what he’s got to do for the 11 team and try to get the best finish that he can for the 11 team.” Ultimately, Marks believes playoff cutlines magnify tiny errors and individual agendas, reminding everyone: “You gotta remember that everybody out here, they’re employed by somebody and they’re trying to do the best job for their race team and their boss.”

Rather than pinning heartbreak on rivals, Marks instead called for introspection and operational excellence. As Trackhouse looks forward, it’s clear that minimizing mistakes and maximizing execution (not blaming other teams) will be essential for future playoff success.