Denny Hamlin evaluates NASCAR playoff standing after New Hampshire, heading into Kansas

Denny Hamlin is in a pretty solid spot heading into Kansas this coming weekend, as it pertains to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. However, he’s not exactly satisfied with his spot in the standings.

The veteran wheelman is 27 points to the good at the moment, following a P12 finish at New Hampshire. He believes he could be up 40 though, and he’d feel a lot more comfortable with where he’s at if that was the case.

“No, I mean, this is a race where I wanted to leave +40,” Hamlin responded, regarding whether he was content with leaving New Hampshire +27 in the point standings, via the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast. “So I don’t know, just a little behind schedule, as far as that is concerned. But I don’t know. It was an OK day.

“I think we finished within like, two positions of where we were supposed to finish. We were probably going to overachieve by running top-five there. But you don’t always get what you want.”

At least Kansas is one of Hamlin’s top tracks. He’s not exactly in danger of missing the Round of 8, but that could always change if he has a disastrous performance this coming weekend.

After Kansas is the Charlotte Roval, so it would certainly behoove Hamlin to pad his cushion this weekend. Whether he’s able to do so remains to be seen, but if he’s somehow eliminated over the next two races, it would be a major damper on an otherwise tremendous season for the veteran driver.

More on Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs

Meanwhile, the larger story involving Hamlin stemming from New Hampshire has to do with an incident that between him and Ty Gibbs this past Sunday. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin was asked about the contact he had with Gibbs during that race, leading to Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota being sent into the wall.

“We were racing really too hard,” Hamin stated. “I know this is going to trigger some people about, ‘Oh, racing hard.’ When you’re racing a teammate — A, a teammate, and B, a teammate with nothing to gain — I agree that everyone should race to win the race. However, we’re not racing to win the race.

“We’re racing, at the time, for 11th place. …We’re all (the playoff drivers) battling and scratching and clawing to try to get some stage points, which is going to be life or death for us. It’s our air that we need to move on.”

Hamlin continued: “I felt as though a little bit wronged in the sense of my teammate out of the playoffs should not be the hardest car on the track to pass. For God’s sake, Ross Chastain let me by. He’s on the cut line.”

As Hamlin mentioned, he and Ty Gibbs were battling for 11th during Lap 110 of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at New Hampshire. And since it was the Round of 12 opener, it was important for Hamlin to have a strong finish to make sure he stays above the cut line. 

Hamlin and Gibbs compete for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), which is owned by legendary NFL head coach Joe Gibbs. Ty Gibbs, the grandson of Joe Gibbs, missed out on reaching the playoffs this season and is still looking for his first race victory in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

— On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this article.