Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Denny Hamlin
Hamlin missing the chase in 2015 comes from my belief that Joe Gibbs Racing will only get three of their four drivers in, making Hamlin the odd man out.
Hamlin had a great run in the 2014 chase where he finished 7th in the championship race and had six top-10 finishes in the final 10 races of the season. Despite putting together a solid run in the chase Hamlin was inconsistent over the first 26 races of the season. In 11 of the first 26 races he finished 18th or worse and nine of those events saw him finish outside of the top-20.
Hamlin earned his spot in the 2014 chase with his win in the Aaron’s 499. Like most drivers the superspeedways provide a chance for anyone to make the chase and that will again hold true for Hamlin in 2015. However, I just see Hamlin and the No. 11 team taking a step back this season and a big part of that has to do with the loss of Darian Grubb who was replaced with Dave Rogers. I don’t believe Hamlin and Rogers will be a good fit and I think it will impact Hamlin’s performance on the track.
Hamlin will contend for some wins in 2015 but I don’t think he will get one in the first 26 races and as a result will miss the chase.