Denny Hamlin‘s championship hopes suffered a critical blow Sunday at the Texas Motor Speedway, where a late-race penalty dashed his chances in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who entered the race as the championship favorite according to FanDuel Sportsbook, now faces an uphill battle to advance to the Championship 4.
Hamlin was penalized for a violation related to a lug nut not being fully tightened during a pit stop, sending him to the rear of the field with just laps remaining. The misstep effectively eliminated him from contention in the race, won by Christopher Bell, and significantly altered the championship odds. FanDuel now lists Hamlin as the third favorite, behind Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson, with full odds available here. These odds are subject to change.
The incident occurred during the final stage of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500, a crucial race in the Round of 8. The penalty relegated Hamlin to a 28th-place finish. This outcome leaves him 42 points behind the leader, Christopher Bell, with only one race remaining in the round – the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 19.
The Round of 8 will conclude at Talladega, where NBC will broadcast live coverage beginning at 2:00 p.m.ET. Fans can begin a free trial of FuboTV to watch the race. Only the top four drivers in points after talladega will advance to compete for the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.
