Denny Hamlin experienced a series of unfortunate incidents during the Atlanta Cup race. Joe Gibbs Racing’s No: 11 team, known for their success in Superspeedway racing, had a disappointing performance on Sunday, finishing outside the top-15 for the second consecutive time. Hamlin’s troubles were caused by three crashes that occurred in different stages of the race.
During stage one, Hamlin collided with a former teammate’s car, the No:8 RCR Chevy, resulting in him spinning out. Despite this setback, he managed to recover and make progress in the race, only to be involved in another wreck in the last lap of stage two. This time, it was with another ex-teammate, driving the No:22 Penske Ford.
The final crash Hamlin was caught in involved Stewart Haas Racing’s car, leading to NASCAR red-flagging the race. Hamlin expressed his frustration about constantly finding himself in these chaotic situations during his podcast, Action Detrimental. He even admitted to feeling cursed due to these unfortunate incidents.
When discussing his clash with Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion, Hamlin explained that he initially believed he had enough space as he moved from the middle lane to the inside lane, which Busch was using. However, he was caught off guard by the RCR driver, causing him to spin.
Heading into Las Vegas, which happens to be Busch’s hometown, Hamlin hopes to bounce back and secure a victory. As a pre-season favorite for the championship, he is expected to overcome these setbacks and set a positive tone for the rest of the season.