Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs to start at the rear after last-minute car changes at Atlanta.
The Joe Gibbs Racing trio of Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs will start from the back of the pack in Sunday’s Quaker State 400 in Atlanta.
According to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, Truex and Gibbs changed the lie lines that Hamlin had a problem with during on Saturday. qualifying session. JGR driver Christopher Bell, like the other Toyotas, will not have the same problem and will not start at the back.Hamlin was off the pace in qualifying and will start 38th during Sunday’s race. That puts him and his JGR teammates behind eighth place in the opening race of the playoffs. Hamlin didn’t seem too concerned about the final qualifying, confident that his team will diagnose the problem and field a strong race car in Atlanta.
Denny Hamlin reacts to engine problems and his poor qualifying performance before the NASCAR playoffs
“Just slowly,” Hamlin told Wendy Venturini on the Performance Racing Network. “No real indication other than just slow and then they come and diagnose the problem. “They will find a solution.” Asked about the problem, Hamlin replied: “It is definitely in the electric group. »He echoed much the same sentiment in the USA Network show.”That means we’re going for last. So we’re going to fight for the front,” said Hamlin. “Our Mavis Camry, I’m sure, will be very good tomorrow. We’re happy with what we brought, but yes, we have to go all the way.”Truex will certainly feel the impact of starting from behind, since he’s not exactly on a playoff roster He entered the playoffs as the 16th and final seed, edging out Chris Buescher by just six points. Truex is winless this season, has just one top-10 finish from Nashville in late June, failed to finish in the top-5 from Kansas in early May and saw his race at Darlington last Sunday finish behind with just two laps to go after contact with Ryan Blaney. . .Truex has finished 24th or worse in nine of the last 12 races.
This includes a current streak of five consecutive finishes off 20 balls. With just three playoff spots, Truex is in danger of being eliminated early in the postseason.
