Hamlin has been forced to a back-up car for Monday’s race and will start from the rear of the field as a result.

Frustrated by the crash, Hamlin slammed his helmet on the top of his wrecked Toyota Camry after returning to the pits.

After the crash, Hamlin revealed he suffered a stuck throttle. He had been fastest in practice to that point.

“I don’t know [what happened], the car didn’t slow down. The throttle hung on me, and apparently, Chris [Gabehart] sent me a picture and there is a huge chunk of rubber that’s in the throttle body that hung it wide open,” said Hamlin

“I tried to do everything I can to not hit head-on, but at that point I’m just trying everything I can to keep the thing spun around so then I can get the car to slide forward instead of backwards. It’s hard to keep it off the wall here.

“The moments that led up to it, our car was phenomenal. It did everything it needed to. We just made a change and went back out to assess the change, and thought it was right where it needed to be.”

There’s trouble for @dennyhamlin! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ulJmTbKz4Y

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 2, 2024

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver came into 2024 as the favourite but is on the brink of bombing out with two races remaining.

The crash complicated an already tough predicament for Hamlin.

Martinsville represents the final round of the playoffs before the Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway.

As it stands, Hamlin is below the cut line in sixth at -18 points. Kyle Larson, who began the playoffs at the top of the pile, is at -7 points.

Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott are effectively in must-win positions to progress.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing are both locked into the Championship 4 after race wins at Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami respectively.

Christopher Bell (+29) and William Byron (+7) sit above the cut.

“These playoffs, you couldn’t write the script,” said Steve Letarte on commentary.

“You’re fastest, have so many wins here, everything looks like it’s going good, and now this car is absolutely destroyed.

“Back-up, for sure. Won’t get to qualify. Will have to start in the back. Will have a poor pit selection. This is a big avalanche.”

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