MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Denny Hamlin concedes that his quest to make the Championship 4 “got infinitely harder but it’s not impossible” after his crash in practice Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin, who is 18 points below the cutline entering Sunday’s Round of 8 elimination race, had one of the fastest cars before his incident in practice.

Denny Hamlin crashed during Saturday ... the field in Sunday’s Round of 8 finale. Entering Turn 3, Hamlin carried tremendous speed before sending his Toyota into a skid, careening rear-first into the outside retaining SAFER barrier.

Denny Hamlin, who is outside a transfer spot to the Championship 4, crashed in practice Saturday at Martinsville Speedway and will not make a qualifying attempt. The team will repair the car and not go to a backup car.

Denny Hamlin's championship hopes were severely impacted by a throttle malfunction during practice at Martinsville Speedway.

Denny Hamlin's championship bid was derailed by a mechanical failure and wreck during practice for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Denny Hamlin's quest for his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series title took another blow on Saturday after suffering an untimely crash in the Martinsville practice.