If there were ever a moment that completely encapsulates Denny Hamlin's NASCAR Cup Series postseason career, it was when he was sent to the rear of the field at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Sunday's Bank of America 400 because one of his crew members fell over the wall.
For whatever reason, no matter how good they are in the regular season, the No. 11 team simply can't seem to get out of their own way when it matters most. It's literally always something.
Hamlin was able to rally to finish third in the second stage and fifth in the race, which actually placed him ahead of championship leader Kyle Larson in both. But Larson won stage one while Hamlin placed outside of the top 10.
Denny Hamlin didn't actually beat Kyle Larson
So despite beating Larson on the race track for the first time since the playoffs began, Larson scored more points than Hamlin did and was able to extend his lead from 40 points to 49. Larson even ran the race's fastest lap and was awarded one additional bonus point.
Additionally, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe sit third and fourth in the standings after Briscoe beat Bell in a photo finish, and both of them gained significant ground on Hamlin (and even on Larson) in the points battle.
All that matters, as the end of the day, is total points. Stage racing is certainly a part of that, to the dismay of many. And Sunday's result continued a lengthy recent slide for Hamlin that dates back to mid-August.
He hasn't actually gained ground, relative to the championship lead, since the race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, August 15.
Hamlin entered that race 103 points ahead of teammate Ty Gibbs and 110 points ahead of Team Penske's Ryan Blaney. Blaney passed Gibbs for second in points, but he finished the race further behind Hamlin at 115 points back.
In all eight races since, Hamlin has dropped.
Blaney cut the lead to 77 points at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but not much was made of it because it was that race in which Hamlin clinched the regular season title. Hamlin technically extended the lead to 89 at Daytona International Speedway, but the post-regular season points reset rendered that moot; Hamlin started the Chase with a 25-point lead.
After the race at Darlington Raceway, he led by just 12 points over Bell. After the race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, he led by just nine points over Larson. And at Bristol Motor Speedway, Larson took a one-point lead that has grown ever since.
It grew to 26 points at Kansas Speedway and to 40 points at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Now, even with Hamlin having finished higher than Larson for the first time since August, the deficit he faces is up to 49 points with just four races remaining on the 2026 schedule.
He also hasn't won a race in nearly four months, after winning three times in a span of 15 days.
Can the winningest non-champion in Cup Series history overcome this recent slide and finally earn his first championship? Phoenix Raceway, where he came oh-so-close to winning the 2025 title, is set to host the Freeway Insurance 500 this Sunday, October 18, with live coverage set to be provided by USA Network starting at 3:00 p.m. ET.
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