Andrew Ravens Wed, October 21, 2026 at 6:41 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denny Hamlin has had a run of bad breaks in the NASCAR Cup Series Chase. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver said he is asking for one clean race over the final three races. Hamlin talked about it on this week's episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast .
"I want one smooth race that no bull*** happens. That's what I want. But it's just you can't will it. It just has to happen," Hamlin said.
He said some things are out of his hands.
"And some things are meant to happen. Some things are not meant to happen. But at this point, I feel like the racing gods are picking on me. You know what I mean? That's where I'm at," Hamlin said.
Hamlin is fourth in the standings, 31 points behind Kyle Larson , according to MotorBiscuit's full standings . Christopher Bell is second, five points back, and Chase Briscoe is third, 24 back.
Phoenix was the latest setback. Hamlin was running fourth when a right-rear tire failed on Lap 221. He was then penalized for speeding on pit road, which kept him from getting his lap back under the next caution.
He finished 28th, one lap down, as MotorBiscuit reported . It snapped a run of 31 consecutive finishes on the lead lap.
Crew chief Chris Gayle said the tire pressures were above the team's minimum and that Hamlin likely ran over debris. After the race, Gayle said the title fight is "not over" .
Larson also had a tire failure at Phoenix and finished 34th. Hamlin still gained 18 points on him despite his own trouble.
The Chase opener at Darlington went wrong for Hamlin, too. He led 68 laps but finished 18th.
In the Chase race at Las Vegas, he started on the pole and led 39 laps. He pitted from the lead under an early caution, later spun and finished 16th. Gayle explained the call afterward .
Hamlin has had stronger days, too. He finished third at Kansas and fifth at Charlotte.
Hamlin also came close to his first Cup title last season. He led 208 laps and was leading when a caution with three laps left sent the 2025 finale at Phoenix to overtime. After a four-tire stop, he finished sixth, and Larson won the championship.
He won four races in the 2026 regular season, at Las Vegas, Nashville, Michigan and Pocono.
Hamlin has won Cup races at all three tracks left on the schedule. The Chase heads to Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, then Martinsville Speedway on Nov. 1, before the Nov. 8 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Source: Sports
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