Every year is Denny Hamlin’s year until sudden misfortune befalls the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. This year, Hamlin rode high on the playoff wave but the Round of 8 heartlessly pulled him under treacherous waters. It all comes down to Martinsville this Sunday, just like it did one year ago.

Mere moments before qualifying for the race in Phoenix, a breathtaking maneuver threw him out of the championship foray. Precariously perched below the cutoff line, the #11 driver scratched his unhealed wounds to retell the sordid tale. 

Denny Hamlin grudgingly commends Hail-Melon move ahead of Martinsville anniversary

When Denny Hamlin declared he beat all the NASCAR favorites in Bristol, it almost seemed like he would finally claim the one trophy to rule them all. Until the Round of 8 curse from last season carried over to derail his title quest once again. It’s hard to believe at this point that a racer in his 18th Cup appearance with 51 incredible wins has yet to clinch an entire season. And yet, a car failure in Homestead last week has left it entirely in the hands of the upcoming short-track oval. The same ground where Ross Chastain snatched away Hamlin’s hopes by converting the playoff reality into a video game fantasy.

On the final lap in the penultimate race in Martinsville last year, Chastain was running in the 10th place in a dire need to bridge the gap with the checkered flag. Out of sheer desperation, Trackhouse Racing Team’s #1 driver cruised the wall to overtake several places with outstanding speed. The daredevil action landed him the 4th spot that would have otherwise been awarded to the Joe Gibbs racer. Two days before the anniversary of the Hail Melon move, Hamlin recalled the emotions at play in an interview with NBC.

He said, “I didn’t see it. I was ahead of Ross and our car was so good that we just drove through the field and gained the spots I needed to get in the playoffs. And then, at that point, I managed my gap to him. I knew that they said white flag, you’re up by two. I knew that there was no way he was going to gain two spots in the last lap and he found a way.” The way Chastain fought might have earned him a fare to the Phoenix Raceway, but it was later banned by authorities for the risks it possessed. But that still did not aid the eliminated #11 driver.

However, Hamlin still commended the sheer audacity employed by Chastain. He admitted, “I had to just applaud the move. I mean, he did what he had to do. Forward-thinking by him for sure.” Unfortunately, it was difficult to reconcile the heavy cost that the #11 driver bore. He lamented, “It just came at my expense. It was obviously a novelty move that we’ll never see again. But hey, it just was another part of the Denny Hamin playoff story.”

Watch this story: Denny Hamlin: From Underdog to Champion?

This year, the Trackhouse Racing driver is no longer in the championship contention. But that did not imply there were no barriers ahead.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 11 team reveals the one thing they can control at the Martinsville Speedway

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As it currently stands, Denny Hamlin cannot automatically qualify on the basis of points. Although the #11 driver was not necessarily in a must-win situation, without a win, the JGR driver would have to compete with 7 unstoppable rivals, including his teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell. The #20 driver might have already qualified, but he would certainly attempt to replicate his win on the track last year. 

Bell was 33 points below the cut-off line prior to the Round of 8 race last season and he defied odds to mark his victory. 17 points below, a similar win wasn’t insurmountable for 5-time Martinsville winner Denny Hamlin. With an average finish of 10.3, the #11 driver was second behind Ryan Blaney regarding past record among active drivers. Besides, Hamlin has displayed prodigious form throughout the season, barring technical issues outside of his control.

JGR’s #11 crew chief Chirs Gabehart expressed his frustration at the unexpected chain of events that faltered Hamlin’s playoff supremacy in the past year. Reported by motorsport.com, Gabehardt vented, “We’ve had a failure that’s put us in this spot and that’s disappointing because it was an offset to the performance capability that we conceivably controlled. You can’t control ‘Hail Melons’,” But the crew chief knew last week’s steering issues could not be blamed on Ross Chastain.

He continued, “But you can control mechanical failures, so that part is disappointing.” In the end, though, the #11 team would focus on the one thing of which they were certain. “Our job is to go to Martinsville and win and I know that’s what we’re capable of.” Even without an outlandish move, this was once again, Denny Hamlin’s year. And he was ready to beat every single driver this weekend. 

Read More: “I’m Not Willing to Fight”- Denny Hamlin Publicly Admits Inferiority to Kyle Larson With Startling “Better Than Average” Claim