Denny Hamlin heads to Kansas Speedway with his NASCAR Cup Series championship hopes under pressure after a difficult start to the 2026 Chase. He entered the Chase as the top seed, carrying a 25-point advantage built from four regular-season victories. That advantage has now been erased.
Denny Hamlin finished 18th at Darlington, ninth at Gateway and eighth at Bristol. Kyle Larson now sits one point ahead, while Joey Logano’s Bristol victory has tightened the fight. Despite the setbacks, Hamlin has not called his season a crisis.
Instead, he believes one strong result at Kansas Speedway could quickly change the NASCAR Chase standings. The veteran driver has also pointed to restarts, balance, and execution as the main areas his team must fix.
Denny Hamlin Needs a Big NASCAR Chase Result
Denny Hamlin admitted his confidence has dipped since the NASCAR Chase began, even though he still believes he can recover.
“I felt the Chase started off where it was like I was really happy with Darlington, not the finish, but certainly how we were running. So I wasn’t quite as confident as I was going in. But still, every week is a new week. And you can come here and win the race and have your points gap right back where it was.”
After Bristol, Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast: “I need to get my mojo back. I need to get a weekend where we lead laps and win stages and feel good about where we’re at.”
The NASCAR Chase points have made the situation clear. Hamlin said his recent results are not enough.
“Given how we’ve performed, we can’t continue to perform this way. Thirty-seven or 35 points a race is not enough. I’m gonna have to have better weeks than what I have here.”
Denny Hamlin Blames Execution and Restarts
Denny Hamlin has focused on execution rather than a major loss of speed. He believes mistakes on restarts and balance issues have cost the No. 11 Toyota valuable track position during the NASCAR Chase.
“We just have to get better. We’ve got to have mistake-free races, I got to do a better job on the restarts, just got to execute a day.”
Hamlin also believes Darlington showed the car had winning speed, while Gateway exposed different problems.
“I think execution is far what’s hindering us the most on not having better days. I really, truly believe that we would’ve contended for the win at Darlington but obviously we were not a contending car here [Gateway].”
“I don’t feel like our speed has been off as much as balance things; not being strong on the restarts because of the balance, things like that. I don’t think our speed really has gone much of anywhere.”
Kansas Speedway Gives Hamlin a Chance
Kansas Speedway now gives Denny Hamlin an important opportunity to regain ground in the NASCAR Chase. The Kansas race kicks off a three-race stretch with Las Vegas and Charlotte, both tracks where Hamlin has strong experience.
Denny Hamlin has four career wins at Kansas Speedway, the most among active drivers. He also said he feels comfortable at the 1.5-mile track, even after practice was washed out.
“So, this is probably my best and favorite racetrack in Kansas,” Hamlin said. “Certainly, I feel as though I have such a good feel for this track.”
Hamlin knows a normal top-10 result will not be enough. He wants a major points haul.
“It’s important to us, for sure. I think it’s one where we need to get big point days and win races.”
Asked what a big day would mean, Hamlin answered simply: “50 plus.”
Kansas Speedway now becomes a key moment for Denny Hamlin and the NASCAR Chase. One strong Sunday could change the standings again.
NASCAR Cup Series: Denny Hamlin’s Championship Hopes Take Another Hit