WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Denny Hamlin was among the regular season championship leaders until a late season points penalty and frustrating finish on track to conclude the regular season relegated him to a sixth place in the championship standings entering the 10-race Playoff.
Last week’s Playoff opener at Atlanta didn’t boost his standings any. Calling a unique strategy where he stayed toward the rear of the field to avoid the typical multi-car accidents up front did not work out as Hamlin had hoped. Ultimately he ended up in a wreck and finished 24th.
He shows up this week in New York with two races remaining in this opening Playoff Round ranked 11th – only two-points to the good with 12 of the 16 Playoff drivers advancing to Round 2 following the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway race in two weeks.
“Certainly, I think if I had to do it over again, I would have been more aggressive [at Atlanta] and just taken the consequences of whatever that might have been,” Hamlin said Saturday. “But truthfully, I did not feel comfortable in the car until 50 [laps] to go and everyone in front of me was three-by-three and there was nowhere to go. It was just bad timing all the way around.
And, he added of the situation, “Certainly, I don’t love where I’m at. That’s a given. But I still think if I just do the best I can tomorrow and do the best I can at Bristol, it still will work itself out. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. My number one goal is getting to a win total and I’ve got plenty of races to do that. I’m gonna try to win at least two races in these Playoffs and hopefully they count.”
Source: Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service
