Denny Hamlin has suffered mechanical misfortunes throughout the entire playoffs.
As he pointed out on Monday during the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin has either won to advance or suffered an issue that thwarted an otherwise competitive car.
On Saturday, he needed to be pushed off pit road to qualify because his car wouldn’t start without the manual shove. And then, on Sunday during the race, in his words:
“It blew up. The engine went boom.”
So yes, given the starter issues, alongside the power steering, stuck throttle and engine woes, Hamlin has some degree of worry in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series championship race on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
“Of course, there is concern,” Hamlin said. “My first concern is ‘will my car start.’ It's quite funny. In driver intros, William (Byron) and I were talking and he was like, 'what happened, they had to push start you?' And I was like 'yeah, we got it going,' and he was like, 'man, you can't get it going but once it does, it's really fast.’
“We can't worry about it all week. The parts and the pieces are already in the car. We're going to cross our fingers and hope the car sees the finish line.”
But should there be some degree of concern, given this could be his last chance at winning the championship that has eluded him for two decades.
"My concern is that over the half the playoff races, I have had mechanical failures,” Hamlin said. “So, like five of the nine, I have had major mechanical failures. Um, the one's we haven't, we won. That's the good news.
“We are going to be fine. They're going to bring their best. And if we're not, we're not. I don't know. I'm going to do the best I can and drive it the best I can. I'm confident this week. I'm not in a negative headspace. Everything is going to be fine.”
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