Hamlin leads points in pursuit of first title

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Denny Hamlin has come back from the extreme heartbreak of the last year to race with a vengeance. The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota currently leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings by 115 points with his teammate Ty Gibbs 127 points behind. Hamlin has four wins, 14 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes through the first 24 races. But, he pointed out his big lead will be erased after the next two races with the points to be reset for the 10-race "Chase for the Championship." "The regular season's great, and we built a very good points lead, but that's all about to go away," Hamlin said Wednesday during a BMS media visit to Joe Gibbs Racing. "We could find ourselves outside the top five after the first week of the playoffs, so you got to treat it with the same, if not even more intensity. I think our advantage is that the tracks really line up well for me personally. These tracks that I've got a ton of success at." That includes Bristol Motor Speedway where Hamlin leads all active drivers with four wins. He also leads all active drivers with 64 career wins, ninth on the all-time victories list. Hamlin was literally three laps from capturing a first Cup Series title last year. A late-race caution at Phoenix and subsequent pit stop put him back in the pack and put Kyle Larson in place to win his second career title. Hamlin was praised by JGR President Dave Alpern, for his dedication, the hours he spends in the team's racing simulator. The veteran racer talked about what keeps him on top at 45 years old. "It's just the willingness to adapt to different things, not getting stuck," he said. "Even though I've raced 32 times at Loudon, New Hampshire, I'm still studying it like I've never raced there before. I go there with a new mindset, and obviously lean on past notes to help guide me. Ultimately, every race is an opportunity to learn something, and that's the way I treat it." His combination of experience and being able to adapt was showcased at the 2024 Food City 500 at Bristol. Teams were experiencing extreme tire wear at the race. The veteran Hamlin was able to take care of the tires on his car while other contenders had blowouts to score the win. Other times at Bristol, he's won by going all out, which includes two victories in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. "I've won winning a couple night races there, and it's been an electric feeling," he said. "The way you win there is fantastic. It really challenges you. It's one of the more physical races that we have all year. You don't get a lot of straightaway distance to relax, I need that extra time to relax before you enter the next corner, and Bristol doesn't give you that chance." Hamlin usually isn't concerned about practice speeds at the high-banked short track nicknamed the "World's Fastest Half-Mile." He's more focused on getting his car to handle where he can use all of the track's surface. It's not only having a fast car, but a car that can successfully move around other cars. "I've really found unique racing lines that have worked for me around that particular track, and it's the ability to pass not only lead-lap cars but lapped cars," he said. "That's really been the key to keep me up front, and obviously the crew plays such a pivotal role in what happens on pit road." The Bass Pro Shops Night Race in September is less than a month. The next win for Joe Gibbs Racing at Bristol will be the 20th at the "Last Great Colosseum." That would break a tie with Pocono, where Hamlin won recently, and Richmond for the track which JGR has the most victories. Despite all the success, the organization's last championship was seven years ago with Kyle Busch. Beyond the disappointment of losing the championship, Hamlin suffered great personal loss with a house fire that killed his father and severely injured his month. Former teammate Busch unexpectedly died after a bout of pneumonia in May. With the strength shown by JGR and the 23XI team which Hamlin co-owns with Michael Jordan, he sees a great opportunity to win a first title. Also with the Chase format where points from all 10 races count instead of last year's playoffs where drivers were eliminated after three cut-off races, Hamlin believes it could have a positive effect at Bristol. "It allows you to race a little bit more freely now that it's not a cut-off race," he said. "I remember last year thinking my points position wasn't great, and I need to have just a good solid day. I was running in the top five, and it's like, 'I could push a little more and actually go for the race win here, but you know what? The points are going to get reset anyway. Let's just get out of here with my top five and move on.' "Now that every position in each one of these 10 races matters, it's going to push me to go for that race win. This format is actually better for the racing of Bristol."