AVONDALE, Ariz: Denny Hamlin was one of the favorites to win the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship, but while his other Championship 4 contenders spent time at the front during Sunday’s Season Finale 500 at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, Hamlin did not.
In fact, the second-winningest Cup Series driver this season was a non-factor for much of the 312-lap race. While the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry kept his automobile within
the sight of his rivals and championship hopefuls all-day long, Hamlin could not overcome an ill-handling car or lack of speed through a caution-free Stage 3 to put himself in the thick of the battle.
Hamlin finished fourth on Sunday, last among the Championship 4 drivers and nearly four seconds behind Joey Logano who finished third. Chase Elliott won his first NASCAR Cup Series championship by winning the race, 2.7-seconds ahead of Brad Keselowski.
“Yeah, certainly disappointed,” Hamlin admitted after the race. “We were a little off handling, but I think just overall car speed, I think we just didn’t have quite enough. Our next best teammate was check 10th.”
The 44-time NASCAR Cup Series winner was right. While much of the top-10 field was decorated with Fords and Chevrolets, just two Toyotas held top-10 spots with Hamlin fourth and Martin Truex Jr. 10th.
The Chesterfield, Va. native says his team has to be better, especially on the short tracks. After winning the Phoenix semi-final round in 2019, Hamlin and the JGR struggled earlier this year with a different aerodynamic package from NASCAR.
On Sunday, while some gains were made, it was evident as Hamlin expressed, there’s more to get figured out. A lot more – if they are to repeat their Championship 4 appearance next November.
“As an organization, we’ve got to get a little bit better, especially on the short tracks, It’s kind of a learning period for us,” Hamlin expressed. “It just seemed like we were a little bit off all year, and that was all I had, that’s for sure.
“We just didn’t have enough car potential for us. Our balance was not bad, maybe a little bit off, but just not enough in reserve.
“I was pushing for everything I had, just the FedEx Camry didn’t have quite enough today, and we ended up fourth.”
While disappointed, Hamlin felt his Chris Gabehart led team didn’t leave anything on the table.
“We put our best effort forward,” sounded Hamlin. “We had no mistakes today, did everything I possibly could, just I had nothing there to go.
“I think (Team) Penske and Hendrick (Motorsports) both had two teammates inside the top 10 before we even got to our next best two other teammates. (Again), Our organization has got to get a little bit better on these types of tracks, and especially it being it going to be the deciding factor in the championship.”
The three-time Daytona 500 champion will now have to wait more than three months to start his bid again – and a promise to team owner Joe Gibbs to bring home a NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Some were critical of moving the season finale from the home of Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway for nearly two decades to the desert of Arizona, Hamlin approved the move, especially following the track’s multimillion-dollar investment to make their infield more fan-friendly.
“I’m good with it staying here for a little bit,” Hamlin said. “I certainly think that Phoenix Raceway invested money into the fan experience, and any track that does that deserves to have a big race.
“To me facilities is a big hitter in my mind for the fan experience, and they invested money in it. The city is a sports town. A lot of stuff goes on in this city beyond racing, other sports. We always have had great crowds here no matter what’s gone on, whether we’ve raced two races a year here. If it was a Playoff race or not, it was a packed crowd.”
Hamlin also echoed Joey Logano’s sentiment that the season-finale should eventually rotate from track to track.
“This place deserves the race that it got,” added Hamlin. “But I’m also like Joey (Logano), I agree that you should move it around a little bit. We want to make sure that it’s a town and a city and a track that is up to par for what a place like this is.”
The 1.0-mile track hosted nearly 11,000 fans Sunday between the stands, the infield and the hillside – a shortcoming of the sellout crowd the track announced in March before the worldwide coronavirus pandemic hit in mid-March.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
