Denny Hamlin’s hopes for a strong playoff run were dashed once more at the Hollywood Casino 400 held at Kansas Speedway, as the Denny Hamlin playoff curse continued to haunt him. During a critical moment on Lap 213, Hamlin led the field in his No. 11 Toyota, fending off tough competitors including Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott, but mechanical failure soon robbed him of a shot at advancing.
Power Steering Failure Derails Hamlin’s Charge
<pHamlin’s race took a sudden turn by Lap 215 when he radioed his team, reporting serious trouble with his steering. "There is something wrong with the f****** steering. It’s sticking bad," he aired his frustration, followed by, "If I swerve, when I go to the right, it goes ‘click, click’ … I think it’s broke! F**k! Power steering." This loss of power steering, which is vital for handling the Next Gen cars, instantly compromised his control and momentum.
The physical strain was overwhelming as Hamlin struggled to manage the car. He admitted,
“I don’t know what to do. I can’t f*ing believe it,”
underscoring the bitterness of enduring yet another playoff setback. The repeated misfortune felt like a relentless pattern for him: “Every year. Every. Year.”
Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner still chasing his first Cup title, had hoped to improve on his 11th place in the standings. Positioned 23 points shy of the Round of 8 cutoff, the steering rack failure effectively crushed those aspirations as his team confirmed the issue likely stemmed from a break in the system.
Team Efforts Amid the Struggle
Despite the mechanical woes, Hamlin’s pit crew tried to keep him composed, advising him to
“Relax your hands and fingers down the frontstretch and backstretch when you can.”
Hamlin’s response, “I’m trying,” revealed the physical challenge of navigating the car under such conditions. Even as his team encouraged,
“You’re doing great. You’re pulling away. You’ve got it,”
Hamlin’s continued reply of “I’m trying,” showed the toll the broken steering was taking on him.
With around 25 laps left, the race intensified. Christopher Bell, Hamlin’s closest rival that afternoon, was closely monitored by his team:
“Still lots of room. Catching a lot of traffic here. He’s going to struggle in traffic. 22 more.”
Hamlin maintained a narrow lead of about one second over Bell, while Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon, and Sheldon Reddick followed, most driving Toyotas except Elliott in a Chevrolet.
The pit crew urged Hamlin to push through physical pain, telling him:
“Everything you got. Dig in here.”
But the persistent steering malfunction transformed a potential victory into a battle to hold position, as rivals like Wallace, Bell, and Kyle Larson remained in close pursuit.
Lap 216 Brings Unexpected Chaos
Just when Hamlin appeared to be fighting through the adversity, a caution waved on Lap 216 following a significant crash on the restart. Noah Gragson caused the incident by clipping Austin Cindric and Joey Logano, setting off a cascade of spinning cars. Although no severe injuries or heavy car damage occurred, the crash took out major playoff contenders, including Logano and Cindric, altering the playoff picture dramatically.
While Cindric limped back to pit road for repairs and Logano escaped mostly unscathed, Hamlin maneuvered through with his steering challenges intact but undamaged. This caution momentarily granted him a breather and kept his chances alive, as fans on social media debated between appreciating Hamlin’s grit and reacting to the playoff shake-up unfolding behind him.
The continued operational issues and this race’s chaos have deepened the narrative of Hamlin’s elusive playoff breakthrough, underscoring how mechanical failure and unpredictable events have repeatedly altered his championship quest. The 2024 season’s upcoming events will reveal whether he can finally overcome these setbacks or if the so-called Denny Hamlin playoff curse will persist into future races.
