If there’s one thing that the next Next Gen car has ensured this season in NASCAR, is that there is no predicting, at least confidently, what happens at the end of the race before the checkered flag actually drops. To think what this will lead to now that we’re staring into the playoffs is exciting and scary for obvious reasons, something Denny Hamlin also pointed out.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver stated how, given the current state of the season, there is “no advantage to anyone” at this point.

Hamlin then went on to make a big prediction that could scare the big guys and encourage the smaller teams.

“I think this will be without a doubt the most unpredictable playoffs, simply because one bad race by a good team, they will not have the playoff points to give them a buffer to get to the next round,” he said.

“There’s liable to be very big teams, or even favorites in this championship that will be taken out in the first or the second round because they don’t have the big playoff points that our favorites have had in the past.” 

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Denny Hamlin describes the change in the #11 team’s approach for the rest of the season

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver went on to describe how “crazy” it is that he is one Stage 1 win away from ranking P1 in playoffs, something that shows that when they’re running well, they “get it done”.

And when they’re not running well, they’re “fully bad.”

This has led to two things: Denny Hamlin realizing that they need to get their “s**t together” for the next ten weeks, and the necessary change in strategy, the change in approach for that time.

“The stage points don’t matter that much. We have changed our schedule of strategy just to either want to win a stage or win the race,” he said. “Second means nothing to us in stages.”

“We’ve fully thrown the white towel trying to get into the top tens in points, at this point.”

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