Bad day could doom Hamlin
Denny Hamlin’s dazzling season could potentially collapse if things go sideways Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR’s oldest and shortest track that has been slotted as the final playoff elimination race.
NASCAR has needed horsepower for its stale playoffs, so Martinsville was shuffled to the back of a revamped schedule. The same guys raced the same 10 tracks in the same 10week order every year, and the schedule had to change.
So Martinsville was moved to the final elimination race and NASCAR created a high-stakes lastchance Sunday at the historic Virginia paperclip. Three of four slots are unclaimed in next week’s title-deciding race at Phoenix, which will host its first championship, with Joey Logano the only driver already qualified.
It means at least one of NASCAR’s top stars and maybe even a legitimate title contender won’t advance out of Martinsville. Kevin Harvick is probably cushioned by bonus points earned through nine victories this year. That’s two slots for six drivers, and all six believe they can win to get in.
Hamlin, winner of seven races and the Daytona
500 this year, sparred with Kevin Harvick all season as co-favorites to win the Cup title. Hamlin hasn’t been great in the playoffs and he holds just a twopoint lead over Brad Keselowski above the cut line.
A bad day could end Hamlin’s quest for an elusive first Cup title, while teammate Martin Truex Jr. must win Martinsville to advance after an illegal spoiler last week derailed him in the standings.
It's a letdown situation for both Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota: Three JGR cars made the finale a year ago, but reigning champion Kyle Busch has already been eliminated.
Truex is trying to make the final four for a fourth consecutive year. If Truex wins, it could eliminate Hamlin — if Hamlin finishes behind Keselowski.
“It’s up to us to get it done,” said Hamlin, a five-time Martinsville winner. “My goal and my anticipation is that we’re going to win.”
Truex, winner of the last two races at Martinsville, hasn’t dismissed a threepeat but is realistic about the challenge.
“A must-win at any track, no matter how good you’ve been there in the past, I think is a challenge,” Truex said.
Keselowski has yet to race in a final four since the format debuted in 2014, and he’s not contended for a title since his 2012 victory. This was a contract year with a new crew chief that could have started a career decline. Instead, he’s angling to put two Fords in the finale and join Team Penske teammate Logano in Phoenix.
“I don’t want to say
[I’m] licking my chops, but I feel like based on our season’s performance to date, [it’s] the best chance for us to go out and really have a chance to win and get a second championship,” Keselowski said.
Chase Elliott has three wins this season and seemed steady enough to advance for the first time in four tries, but he’s below the cut line, tied with teammate Alex Bowman in sixth. The Hendrick Motorsports drivers, along with Busch from Chip Ganassi Racing, are trying to put a Chevrolet in the championship race for the first time since Jimmie Johnson won his seventh title in 2016.
Elliott is hoping to show he’s ready to race with the big boys, noting the drivers ahead of him “are very familiar faces to the final four.” He’s NASCAR’s most popular driver, with a chance to take the next step in his career.
“I feel good. I feel probably better than I ever have and as relaxed as I ever have,” Elliott said. “I think the more that you can embrace that moment and embrace that situation and really enjoy that time, the better you’ll be prepared for a final four one day if you ever get there.”
JORDAN’S 23XI TEAM
Michael Jordan expects to field a winning team when 23XI Racing begins NASCAR competition next season. The first move toward Victory Lane came Friday in a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota.
Jordan partnered with Hamlin as new team owners and will field the No. 23 for Bubba Wallace. The formation of 23XI — pronounced twenty-three eleven — was completed in September but the final pieces weren’t confirmed until Friday.
Joe Gibbs Racing won last year’s Cup Series championship with Kyle Busch and both Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. are in contention for this year’s title. Hamlin has driven for Toyota and JGR since 2008, so an alliance with any other manufacturer would have been a significant conflict of interest.
“My main goal for 23XI Racing is to be competitive for a championship as soon as possible,” Jordan said. “Our partnership with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing gives us the equipment, resources and expertise to do it.”
JGR is the flagship Toyota team and considered one of NASCAR’s top organizations. Gibbs has won five Cup titles since 2000 and last year celebrated a banner season in which its four drivers combined to win 19 of 36 races.
But 23XI is not a fifth Gibbs car — that’s against NASCAR rules — and Hamlin had to prove its independence for the team to launch. 23XI will be a JGR customer and operate from a shop owned by Germain Racing, which is going out of business.