At 17 points below the cut-off, Denny Hamlin stands in a perilous position in the playoff standing. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver would benefit from stage points, but Hamlin would prefer a win in Martinsville to qualify for the championship race in Phoenix. However, his #11 crew chief demanded a victory for an entirely different reason. 

Chris Gabehart naturally wanted his team to contend for the season’s championship, but he personally vied for the unattained terrains of the short track oval for its iconic trophy. And Hamlin promptly identified the place to adorn it in the pre-race press conference.

Denny Hamlin discusses placement of grandfather clock in Chris Gabehart’s house before the Martinsville race

In the past five years, Denny Hamlin and his crew chief Chris Gabehart have scored multiple triumphs together. Two Daytona 500 wins would be counted foremost among them. Hamlin also registered victories on the treacherous Talladega Superspeedway and the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’ – Darlington. But he was yet to fulfill his crew chief’s pending desire. After a steering issue ended the #11 driver’s race in Homestead, Gabehart was moved to comfort the driver still searching for his first championship in his 18th Cup season. 

As reported by NBC Sports, Gabehart recalled, “I just wanted to grab him and tell him how proud of him I was.” At the same time, he knew that there was more work to be done. Hamlin had one last shot at the Martinsville Speedway so the JGR crew chief instructed, “It’s time to go get me a (grandfather) clock. We’ve done everything but win a clock at (Martinsville) together.” Ahead of the penultimate race of the season, Hamlin was asked about the motivating conversation with Gabehart.

Unsurprisingly, the #11 driver would be happy to oblige Gabehart with the historic grandfather clock trophy on Sunday. Hamlin has won five times in Martinsville but not after Gabehart took over the #11 team in 2019. He said, “I mean short of the very first time we came here in the Next Gen car, Chris [Gabehart] has given me some very very fast cars here at this track. Didn’t win for different circumstances that is so-called racing. I mean, that’s just part of racing. You can’t always dictate the outcome.”

Watch this story: Denny Hamlin from Underdog to Champion?

Hamlin was also grateful to his crew chief for having the right car in the past. He said, “But yeah, he has done a great job of giving me cars and I would be more than happy to let him take that clock home and set it in his living room or bedroom wherever he cares to put it, so absolutely.” Despite his track record, achieving this goal for Gabehart would be easier said than done for the Joe Gibbs driver.

Denny Hamlin does not regret anything he did for the championship this season

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An average finish of 10.3 on a track achieved through 5 wins and 18 Top 5 positions would ideally instill confidence in Denny Hamlin’s performance. However, his last win at the Martinsville Speedway was eight years ago. Without a win in the past three years, Hamlin’s average comes down to 14.1. That does not necessarily imply elimination for the #11 driver.

Hamlin might not have won on the short-track oval recently but in his previous 7 starts in Martinsville, Hamlin has 3 Top 5 and 3 Top 10 finishes. With a combination of stage points and another Top 5 finish, he could still overcome the gap to advance on points. On his part, the #11 driver was going to put in everything he had in him.

Hamlin further said in the press conference that he would make peace with the resulting outcome. “Whatever the outcome is, it is. But I’m certainly going to give it my all and not regret any one thing that I’ve done and any result that has happened because I know that I gave it my best effort.”

For Chris Gabehart and for all his fans awaiting a championship for 18 years, Denny Hamlin would race for the grandfather clock.

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