​“Wrong Strategy, Bad Car”—NASCAR Pundits Pinpoint Moment Denny Hamlin’s Championship Hopes Crumbled at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin had the pole, a fast Toyota, and a championship rival who needed to be kept within reach. Martinsville offered the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran an opportunity to change the direction of his title campaign. Instead, an early decision put him on the back foot, and the problems that followed made recovering lost ground increasingly difficult. The No. 11 team needed to get almost everything right. With Kyle Larson carrying a 73-point advantage into the Xfinity 500, there was little room for another missed opportunity.