Denny Hamlin finished third at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, but the result did little to ease the pressure on his Joe Gibbs Racing team in the NASCAR Cup Series Chase. Kyle Larson controlled the Hollywood Casino 400, winning two of the three races to open the 10-race Chase and taking a major points haul.
Hamlin said the No. 11 Toyota had enough speed on long runs but struggled with its balance on shorter runs and restarts. Larson led 235 laps and scored 76 points, while Hamlin earned 51. The result left Hamlin 26 points behind Larson with six Chase races remaining.
Hamlin said the team needs to improve before the next NASCAR Cup Series race.
Denny Hamlin Struggled on NASCAR Restarts at Kansas
Hamlin said the main problem was balance, not a lack of overall race pace.
“It really hasn’t been the first two races of the Chase. It’s just been a balance problem. So I think that we definitely can head towards trying to get better for the next race.”
The No. 11 Toyota showed stronger pace during longer green-flag runs but struggled to match Larson and Austin Cindric on shorter runs.
“Here at Kansas, when they can’t go for about 45 laps on tires, it would be great for 25-30. It really doesn’t matter after that.”
Hamlin said Larson and his team found the right speed for restarts, where the No. 11 struggled.
Kyle Larson Builds NASCAR Chase Points Lead
Kyle Larson swept both stages at Kansas before passing Chase Briscoe with seven laps remaining. The win gave Larson his second victory in three races and the maximum 76 points.
Hamlin finished third and collected 51 points, leaving him 26 points behind Larson in the NASCAR Chase standings.
Hamlin gained positions during the final cycle, but he did not have enough time to challenge Larson or Cindric.
The Kansas result followed ninth-place finishes at Gateway and eighth at Bristol. Hamlin remains second in the NASCAR Chase standings and holds a 50-point advantage over Christopher Bell.
Hamlin also noted how close the NASCAR Cup Series field has become at Kansas.
“I’ll be honest, we’ve run at this track so many times now that the field is just getting so close,” Hamlin said. “And whoever can get out front or be ahead has just got a little, a couple hundredths faster per lap time speed difference.”
Denny Hamlin Looks Ahead to Las Vegas
The NASCAR Cup Series now moves to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track Hamlin expects to present a different challenge.
“It’s a lot different track,” he said. “This is a track where you just bury your car as low as you can get it there. You’ve got to have something for the bumps.”
Hamlin has four NASCAR Cup Series wins this season but has never won the championship. With six Chase races left, he knows the points gap will remain important.
“It depends on where you’re at, really, going into Homestead,” Hamlin said. “If you’re way back, you know, 40 back going into Homestead, you’ve got to win.”
For now, Hamlin’s third-place finish at Kansas keeps him in the NASCAR Chase fight, but Kyle Larson’s strong points haul has increased the pressure on the No. 11 team to find more speed.
NASCAR Cup Series: Denny Hamlin’s Chase Hopes Take a Hit After Kansas Trouble