If there was any driver who could have stopped Hendrick Motorsports from bringing home a dominant podium lockout at Martinsville, it was Denny Hamlin. Despite qualifying outside the top ten, the #11 Camry XSE was slowly gaining on the frontrunners. After winning the second stage over Kyle Larson, Hamlin was right behind the three HMS cars on the overtime restart. Unfortunately, his climb to the top of the Cook Out 400 leaderboard would end as abruptly as it started.

As the pit lane bustled with crew members trying to prepare for the yellow-white-checkered, the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing garage pitted for fresher rubber and a shot at the win. But Chris Gabehart’s decision to go the opposite direction of Rudy Fugle and Co. resulted in disaster for Denny Hamlin, as he not only lost out on a top-five but also a top-ten finish. This sudden drop also left the community baffled and fans didn’t mince words when it came to criticizing the #11’s crew chief.

Chris Gabehart on his decision to pit Denny Hamlin

The 2024 Cook Out 400 was all set to be a show of Hendrick Motorsports’ dominance once again, but Hamlin’s heroic drive to the very front could have ended things differently. So when the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver pitted before the green-white-checkered restart, the NASCAR community was left scratching their heads as every other car in his vicinity stayed out. This ended in Hamlin losing vital track position with only two laps to go on a short track.

The result? Instead of finishing fourth behind the HMS podium, Hamlin lost out on seven positions and finished in P11, which was his qualifying position. Whilst Hamlin’s stage 2 win failed to transition into a Grandfather Clock, the #11 crew chief felt that the right call was taken owing to their favorable position in the playoff standings.

Chris Gabehart was quoted by Kicking the Tires, “We have two wins. We were going to have to restart fourth there. I ultimately told Denny, ‘If nobody in front of you pits, go ahead and pit.’ Let’s try to shake it up, and make something different happen. Fourth or fifth is really no different to us from 10th or 11th given we have two wins.” Although Gabehart expressed his hatred for making a wrong call, there was nothing else the #11 garage could have done to better their chances at a win.

Throughout the race, we observed how dramatic tire fall-off can be, and Gabehart hoped this would play a major role in the final restart. He concluded, “It was probably more emotionally driven in terms of trying to make something happen versus everyone staying out. Everybody knows that tires aren’t worth anything at Martinsville now.”

Denny Hamlin Falls Off as William Byron Sweeps Martinsville Amidst HMS’ Dominant 1-2-3 Finish

Just last week at Richmond, Denny Hamlin spoke high praises about how his crew had pitted him in prime position for the overtime restart with Martin Truex Jr. For the #11 driver, the shot at winning was gifted to him by the pit crew. So, even if the tables turned at Martinsville, the JGR veteran was rather pleased with the team’s efforts. However, that isn’t the case for the NASCAR community, who threw some wild accusations at Chris Gabehart.

The NASCAR fandom switched up on Chris Gabehart in just one week

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If Denny Hamlin had not pitted and stayed out like the other top 10 cars, he would have gotten a well-deserved top-five. Still, that prospect would have completely ruined things for Hendrick Motorsports, who ultimately brought home Martinsville’s first-ever 1-2-3 finish by a Cup team. Fans on X were left confused by the #11 crew chief’s decision and one fan even questioned, “What was Gabehart doing?”

Other fans alleged shenanigans between Hamlin and HMS Vice President, Jeff Gordon. One user stated; “Denny Hamlin get paid off by Jeff Gordon????”, whilst another criticized the turn of events and mentioned how the #11 team’s decision cost them an inevitable Top-5, only to be relegated outside the Top-10. “terrible call, throw away a top 5 to not finish top 10,”the tweet read.

Joe Gibbs Racing fans couldn’t believe how the team had essentially imploded with strategy just a week after winning based on it. A frustrated JGR fan shared; “@dennyhamlin Why? Just Why? We had 4th locked up. 😣”. On the other hand, some took the route of sarcasm with one user bluntly stating, “Remarkable pit call by Gabeheart!!!!!” 

William Byron’s Crew Chief Unsure About Abrupt Strategy Change as He Tips His Hat to The Martinsville Champ

At the end of the day, when Hamlin crossed the line outside of the top 10, the JGR fandom couldn’t have been more upset with the pit crew’s decisions. One user directed his anger at Hamlin; “Why did you pit bruh.” But still, a majority of the community was baffled by Chris Gabehart’s decision – “Threw away a top 5 for that bonehead pit decision… what were those tires going to do at THIS track with 2 to go… just brainless decision.”

It’s safe to say that viewers are displeased with Hamlin’s sudden fall from grace. With such a vital lesson early in the season, will they be able to bounce back just in time?