Denny Hamlin sounds off on Darlington clutch issues, all kinds of 'gremlins' rearing their head

Not everything went right for Denny Hamlin in this past Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. In addition to some issues on pit road, Hamlin experienced trouble with his clutch.

Hamlin said on Monday’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast that it’s an issue that popped up this year. He called it “gremlins rearing its head.”

“We’ve got all kinds of clutch or shifting stuff that’s not been — just gremlins rearing its head,” Hamlin said. “I don’t know. It’s weird, the first few years I’ve had no issues with clutch or shifting or anything like that. Just over the last year, just had some issues. My car popped out of gear a few times during the corner — that was not fun.”

Denny Hamlin grinds out P7 at Darlington

Of course, this isn’t the time for issues like this to pop up. It’s playoff season, and Hamlin is still chasing that first championship. He started on the pole at Darlington — what he called one of his favorite racetracks — but he was hardly ever in contention for the win.

Hamlin had to grind throughout the 500-mile race, and that he did. He managed to finish seventh, a result many playoff drivers would have taken. He’s second in the playoff standings heading into this Sunday’s race at Gateway, +43 above the cutline.

Obviously, the mechanical issues with the car are out of his control. Hamlin isn’t trying to let those things bother him. He’s taking a “loose” approach to the 10-race postseason.

“There’s no way I can be consumed with the shit I can’t control. I got too many things,” Hamlin said. “That’s why I’m trying to be as very loose in this playoff as possible. There’s no way I can let every negative thing that happens in the playoffs take my emotions one way or another too far. I’ve gotta be loose and free and say, ‘You know what, I did the best I could. If the engine blows, the engine blows. Oh well. There’s nothing I can do about that.'”