Hung Throttle Sends Denny Hamlin Into Turn 3 Wall in Martinsville Cup Practice
In the quest for his maiden NASCAR Cup Series title, Denny Hamlin has been snake-bitten in the Playoffs, a trend that has unfortunately continued Saturday afternoon from Martinsville Speedway.
During Saturday's extended 45-minute practice session from the half-mile paperclip, Hamlin backed his No. 11 FedEx One Rate Toyota Camry XSE into the Turn 3 wall, heavily damaging his Joe Gibbs Racing machine.
There's trouble for @dennyhamlin! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ulJmTbKz4Y
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 2, 2024
At the time of the incident, Hamlin, a five-time NASCAR Cup Series winner at Martinsville Speedway, was the fastest driver on the speed chart, as Hamlin looks to advance into the Championship 4.
"The moments that led up to it, our car was phenomenal. It did everything it needed to do," Hamlin told Dave Burns of NBC. "We just made a change and went back out to assess the change, and thought it was right where it needed to be."
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Hamlin radioed to Chris Gabehart and his entire Joe Gibbs Racing crew that the throttle hung on his No. 11, causing the accident.
"I don't know [what happened], the car didn't slow down, the throttle hung on me, and apparently, Chris [Gabehart] sent me a picture and there is a huge chunk of rubber that's in the throttle body that hung it wide open."
Hamlin says that when he realized the throttle was stuck on his Joe Gibbs Racing entry, instincts kicked in, as the Chesterfield, Virginia-native attempted to avoid smashing into the wall head-on.
"Most of it is instinctual," Hamlin added. "Not a lot of it is your thinking the best way to wreck, but obviously from my standpoint just trying to make sure I didn't hit nose-first, so did everything I could."
Sunday's XFINITY 500 at Martinsville marks the final elimination event of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Hamlin enters the event sixth in playoff standings, 18 points below the cutline.
In the meantime, Joe Gibbs Racing has decided to fix the primary vehicle for Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE -- rather than unloading the backup car.
"Just we drew the unlucky straw -- and it's been the story for 20 years, so, it's disappointing considering the preparation this team puts in to bring me a fast car, and I hate it for the team, who now has to work all hours of the night, it's unfair to them, but it's just unlucky."
