KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Of the 166 races Chris Gabehart has called for Denny Hamlin, the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team has won 18.
While some would consider a winning percentage of 10.9 pretty stellar, what eats at both the driver and crew chief are the ones that got away. Now, in their fifth full season of competing in the NASCAR Cup Series together, Gabehart and Hamlin believe they left 60 opportunities on the table.
On Sunday at Kansas Speedway, the pair added to that talley.
“Sixty times, 60 times we’ve been capable of winning,” Gabehart said. “This is our 60th anniversary. And my own personal way of looking at things. There’s no one that’s a bigger critic of this race team than me. So when I tell you we’ve been capable winning 60 times—and we only have 19—that’s frustrating.
“But you know you’re not going to win 100-percent of the races you’re capable of wining. The key is you’re capable of winning that many.”
Once again, Hamlin had the dominant car in the final stage. When he cycled back to the lead for the third and final time on Lap 231 following green flag pit stops, Hamlin appeared to have the race in hand when Chris Buescher blew a right rear tire to cause the ninth and final caution on Lap 262.
Hamlin lined up sixth on the outside lane—the first car on four tires—as the race came down to a green-white-checkered finish. When the race turned green, Hamlin didn’t get the launch he had hoped for or an assist from Kyle Larson and dropped to eighth. Before the first lap ended, he moved low and up to third but by then, race winner Tyler Reddick had checked out.
Hamlin passed Erik Jones on the final lap but had to settle for second in the Hollywood Casino 400.
“The car was there, everything was there that we needed to win the race,” Hamlin said. “Just the 5 lagging back on us really hurt. It’s super advantageous to lag back if you can get away with it and it just seems like the end of the race they really let that stuff go. I’m trying to back up to him cause I can’t afford to let him just lag way back and then split us three-wide.
“So I back up, the field goes green. I’m sitting there and no man’s land. It’s just a bad scenario and it allowed the 45 to hit the gap that I wanted to hit in the middle of (Turns) one and two. So, you know, battle back to second is ok, but certainly, it was a tough, tough caution that certainly wasn’t good for us.”
Gabehart doesn’t disagree with Hamlin’s assessment. But coming on the heels of the Southern 500 where the No. 11 Toyota led 177 laps before a loose wheel forced Hamlin to return to the pits and he finished 25th, it’s another tough loss to swallow.
“Just didn’t execute,” Gabehart said. “Just wasn’t a good restart and clearly had the best car. I don’t know. The (No.) 5 (Larson) kind of had their trouble and it was obviously going to be us in the 5 again–at the very least. That’s me being generous. We executed a great play and four tires is clearly the right call. But first things first, you got to get a good launch when you’re only racing three miles and we didn’t do that.”
Hamlin is well aware of the No. 11 team’s potential. He is also well aware of that 60 number that hangs over his head.
“I’m frustrated for sure,” Hamlin said. “I try not to get too emotional on it. But in the last four years, 60 is a lot. To only have something in the teens is crummy. There’s a lot of different reasons why, right? We’re very stringent on the ones that we know that we are winning-capable and when we’re not.
“It’s just back-to-back weeks, super strong car. I’m really happy about that. Eventually you just keep putting yourself up front and you don’t have crazy, hokey stuff at the end.”
On the bright side, Hamlin’s second-place result elevated him to third in the standings—behind the first two race winners in the Round of 16—Larson and Reddick. With one race to determine the 12 drivers that will advance, he’s 49 points to the good.
Gabehart insists the No. 11 team will stay the course through the Playoffs—and should they qualify for the Championship 4, he likes their chances.
“This is shame,” Gabehart said. “We’re not getting the checkered flags for it, but clearly we’re running at a level—and really have been since the break. I don’t think anyone scored anymore points than us since the off week. And there’s refinement going on that I’m proud to say our team is continuing to find ways to reinvent ourselves and be better.
“Denny’s a big part of that obviously. It’s a team thing. And right now we’re clicking on all eight. So I think it’s as good or a better shot than we ever had.
“I’m just so proud of my team for the longevity that we’ve shown together since 2019 and the ability to. To be capable of winning nearly each and every week, we show up.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
