Denny Hamlin’s Playoff Curse Strikes Early Leaving Fans Devastated at Horrific Setback

“We always plan for the end of the race, and we figure out how to make it work at the very beginning.” Denny Hamlin prepared himself for every kind of possible obstacle at the playoffs’ first NASCAR race in Darlington. From racing under the lights and expecting atmospheric changes on tire wear to blocking out the NASCAR lawsuit troubles, Hamlin put in massive efforts. But things went wrong in the most unexpected area for the Darlington master.

The No. 11 team has mastered pit stops several times – even during this year’s April race in Darlington. After Kyle Larson’s spin brought out a yellow with four laps remaining, Denny Hamlin’s team capitalized on the final pit stop, pushing Hamlin from third place to first. This time, however, they pulled him back several positions.

A big loss in the NASCAR race at Darlington

Having mastered the egg-shaped oval over the years, you would think that Denny Hamlin is invincible there. In 26 starts at Darlington Raceway, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran owns 19 top tens, 14 top fives, and five wins – the latest of which came in April 2025. However, ominous signs set in early. The No. 11 Toyota struggled mightily in practice, with crew chief Chris Gayle working steadfastly to make the perfect changes. And they worked – Hamlin clinched the pole by way of a 28.694-second (171.381 mph) lap time in Saturday’s qualifying session. However, that immense advantage fizzled out mid-race.

Denny Hamlin started the race comfortably in the lead, only jostling with teammate Chase Briscoe. The two dominated the front row, exchanging the lead a few times. On lap 152, Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevy spun out in Turn 4, and that brought out a caution. That is when disaster struck for Hamlin. The No. 11 Toyota pit crew members fumbled with the equipment and jostled with each other, visibly distressed due to a mishap. This cost Hamlin dearly, as Jeff Gluck reported: “Denny Hamlin is now P23. He lost 19 SPOTS on pit road.”

“Truthfully, I didn’t have a whole lot [of confidence],” Denny Hamlin said about his race car prior to the race. He highlighted a few factors that fueled his efforts, including his team’s efforts: “They made great changes. We were average, at best, I felt in practice. But for one lap, they made the adjustments they needed to, and now we need to go to work to get that for the race trim.” As it turned out, however, those efforts caved in on themselves during the final race. And Hamlin lost his confidence again.

This elicited harrowing responses from the NASCAR community, most of whom saw it coming.

Denny Hamlin’s fans clutch their heads in despair

Well, we all know that Denny Hamlin is the winningest active driver at Darlington. However, we also know that for 19 long years, the JGR veteran has suffered during the playoffs, right when it mattered the most. So, even though ‘The Lady in Black’ was poised to greet Hamlin again, a two-decade-old curse intervened. And the misfortune also came on pit road, where Hamlin’s team has been historically skilled. A fan sarcastically wrote, “I’ve said for almost 20 years… pit road is the bane of Hamlin’s career.” Somebody else compared Hamlin’s pit stop to Alex Bowman’s one. The latter expanded into a shocking 40-second stop due to a malfunctioning air gun. They wrote, “Almost as bad as bowman’s.”

Somebody else pointed to NASCAR’s executive body as being indirectly responsible. Denny Hamlin has been juggling multiple duties – battling the 2025 Cup playoffs while handling a spiraling NASCAR lawsuit for his 23XI Racing team. So the stress is clearly taking a toll on Hamlin at the race in Darlington. A fan wrote, “Damn you France family!!”

Carson Hocevar’s caution was the starting point of Denny Hamlin’s despair. What is more, Hocevar had contact with Christopher Bell as he was leaving the pit stall, spinning again. One fan wrote that Hamlin’s pit stop was so bad that NASCAR forgot to cover Hocevar’s misery: “Hamlin had such a bad pitstop that TV didn’t even show how Hocevar ended up backwards in his pit stall.”

Clearly, the Darlington race could be better for the JGR veteran. Let’s see how it ends for Denny Hamlin and whether the JGR driver can make up for his loss or not.