Last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 car ran into a serious issue when its right-front wheel detached during Lap 384 of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Contact with AJ Allmendinger led to the wheel coming off and NASCAR immediately issued a two-lap penalty during the caution. Hamlin ended up finishing 31st, five laps down.

Because of that safety violation, specifically under Section 8.8.10.4.C of the NASCAR rulebook (which covers tires and wheels), NASCAR suspended two of Hamlin’s key pit crew members. Austin Maloney (front-tire changer) and Joel Bouagnon (jackman) will each miss the next two NASCAR Cup Series Championship-points races: New Hampshire and Kansas.

So far, NASCAR has not announced a fine against Joe Gibbs Racing for the incident beyond the crew suspensions and Hamlin’s time penalty. The specific “loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle during the event” was cited as the violation, and penalties followed accordingly.

As for replacements, Joe Gibbs Racing has not officially confirmed who will fill in as front-tire changer and jackman for the No. 11 team in the upcoming races.

Who will be in Denny’s new crew?

On the latest episode of Denny Hamlin’s Actions Detrimental, when Hamlin was asked about the replacements, he admitted, “I don’t know, it’s not a decision for me.” But one eagle-eyed observer, Bozi Tatarevic on X, provided insight into who could step in.

The pit crew leased out to the No. 4 of Noah Gragson is typically the best non-house crew at Joe Gibbs Racing, and that group is often tapped when suspensions hit. Adam Riley is usually pulled when a changer is needed, and Nate McBride if a jackman is required.

If Nate and Adam get moved up to Hamlin’s car, that would likely shift Marquill Osborne and De’Quan Hampton from Cody Ware’s No. 51 car to Noah Gragson’s No. 4 to cover those roles. The No. 51 team in turn would then be staffed with development crew members who do not travel every week, such as Miller Gibbs and Kevon Jackson.

Miller Gibbs is the brother of No. 54 front changer Jackson Gibbs and cousin of Ty Gibbs, making the move a natural fit. Another possibility would be pulling from within the No. 54 crew itself since Hamlin is in the playoffs while Gibbs is not.

That scenario would make a lot of sense, especially with AJ Rosini as an option. Rosini served as Hamlin’s front tire changer last year and already has chemistry with the rest of that pit crew, making him an ideal seamless replacement. He was originally part of Hamlin’s No. 11 team but was sidelined just before the Daytona 500.

The next two weeks will test Hamlin’s adaptability as he tries to stay sharp in the playoff battle without two of his key over-the-wall members. For a driver chasing his elusive first Cup championship, having the right crew in place could make all the difference.