“We make it impossible to win”: Denny Hamlin slams pit crew for costing him multiple wins over the years

Denny Hamlin hasn't won a race in 2023 and was not in a good mood after Dover on Monday either. He had no hesitation in calling his pit crew's performance "atrocious" and emphasizing how it had lost him several victories over the previous two seasons.

Last season, the pit crew had difficulties, but Hamlin also contributed to the overall problems by receiving several speeding penalties on the pit road. Both of those trends have persisted through 2023.

"That’s not what’s causing our 20-second pit stop at Richmond when you’re leading, our 20-second stop at the end here. All those just add up. You just can’t win races that way." he said to Fox's Bob Pockrass.

At Dover last weekend, Hamlin's No. 11 car stopped seven times on the 1-mile concrete track, according to Racing Insights. Three of them had the green flag. When most cars were pitting and there was the greatest opportunity to gain positions on pit road, four cars entered the race under caution.

On each of those four pit stops, the No. 11 car lost ground, dropping a total of 11 positions. The 400-lap race had an exhausting 30-second halt on Lap 389.

At the conclusion of Stage 1 on Monday (May 1) at Dover that happened once more when the No. 11 entered the pits in second place but left in ninth. That was the standard for the day. By the time the race was complete, Hamlin, who came in sixth, had dropped 21 positions on pit road.

"We make it impossible to win, honestly, If a caution falls there’s a 90 percent chance we’re going to lose significant spots. I mean that’s just the numbers. I wish I was making it up." Hamlin said after the race.

Denny Hamlin says his team is not in a slump but it is more substantial than that. The introduction of the latest model and their use of a new choreography moving around the car have presented challenges for JGR's pit crews since the start of 2022.

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Denny Hamlin discusses feedback on the NASCAR bracket challenge concept

Denny Hamlin made a suggestion to enhance NASCAR viewing. He suggested a summertime competition with one round of elimination in which the top 32 drivers by points faced off on the circuit. The winners will be moved on, and the $5 million championship race will include the top two finishers.

NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 - Practice

Denny Hamlin wanted to create a "March Madness"-like atmosphere during the summer months when there aren't as many sporting events. People may promote NASCAR by making brackets, betting on individual matchups, or both.