Despite fighting poor luck and mechanical issues throughout the year, Denny Hamlin was able to squeak into the Chase using one of the two wild card spots.
Denny Hamlin: We Don’t Have The Speed To Win Races, Already Preparing For 2012 NASCAR Season
But with two Chase races in the books, Hamlin is out of contention already. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver said Friday at Dover International Speedway his team does not have the speed to win races at this point in the season.
“We’re not where we need to be, by any means, at this point,” he said. “I see things in the future getting better.”
Hamlin is optimistic if the team finds the proper setup in the next three or four weeks, they will be capable of running in the top five and possibly scoring a victory.
Although he said being 66 points out of the Chase lead gives his team the unique position of being able to “kind of relax and have some fun,” the fact remains the No. 11 team has never been a contender in 2011.
Already looking toward the 2012 season, Hamlin said the team’s “number one priority right now” is to get the organization pointed in the right direction and back on track before the end of the season.
Hamlin said it will take some “on-track testing” over the final eight weeks of the season to improve upon this year and prepare for the next.
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