Folks, the Bristol race is one! Jimmie Johnson, the 7-time cup series Champion, won his first Bristol race in 2010, the 17th time he ran there. And why so? A driver on his way to match Johnson’s 3-peat has the answer. “The stars need to align perfectly.” – Denny Hamlin was optimistically cautious ahead of the upcoming Food City 500 race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won the 2024 spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, powering through a high-tire wear race. But the same luck did not descend upon him during the Fall race, where he finished 4th without leading any lap. However, Hamlin’s gambling ‘stars’ may be obliterating this uncertainty.

Remember the NASCAR Cup Series visit to Las Vegas a month ago? Of course, Josh Berry’s first series win was the highlight – but Denny Hamlin also grabbed eyeballs with his massive jackpot in Sin City. As Hamlin aims to clinch his third back-to-back victory after Christopher Bell did, the Vegas charm seems to be working in Bristol as well.

Denny Hamlin awaiting weekend blast-off

That bang happened just before the Pennzoil 400 race as well. During the Las Vegas weekend, Denny Hamlin hit a slot machine jackpot for $211,000 on Friday night. He followed it up with more jackpots, one of which amounted to another $85,000 on Saturday night. This slot machine luck did not continue into the racetrack, where the No. 11 JGR driver could finish in 25th place. However, Hamlin’s luck returned in the following weeks – after securing a top-five finish in Homestead, Hamlin clinched back-to-back wins in Martinsville and Darlington. Presently, Bristol is next on the schedule, and Hamlin’s history on the 0.533-mile short track is heartwarming. What is more, he already has some luck on his hands.

In a series of new Instagram stories, Denny Hamlin made another jaw-dropping revelation. He posted two videos featuring a casino slot machine and wittily captioned, “We meet again 🐂.” In the first video, a view of the slot machine screen revealed rapidly increasing prize money that crossed $3500. Then the camera pans to the left, where Hamlin is seated, and he gives a playful shrug with a broad smile. The second video shows another round of jackpots that ended before the numbers stopped. Clearly, Hamlin is pooling together a pot full of luck before Bristol.

While Denny Hamlin is scoring good money, the NASCAR community has its eyes on him. After a swift pit stop catapulted him to the lead last weekend in Darlington, Hamlin got past Rusty Wallace into 11th on NASCAR’s all-time win list. Yet Bristol is Hamlin’s playground – he has a circuit-leading four victories at the short track nestled in an area known as “Thunder Valley”. A third back-to-back victory would place Denny Hamlin in an elite list of drivers 40 or more years of age – that list includes legends like Harry Gant and Bobby Allison. If he manages to pull off a hat trick, he will also become JGR’s winningest driver upon breaking the 56-win tie with Kyle Busch.

However, Denny Hamlin is making sure not to get carried away by these prospects. After all, a formidable opponent is lurking in the background.

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A good match for the defending winner

Granted, Denny Hamlin won last year’s Food City 500 race. But Kyle Larson won the Bristol Night Race in September. And the circumstances under which the Hendrick Motorsports star won the race were jaw-dropping. He dominated for 462 of 500 laps, fending off charges from all rivals. Heading into this weekend, Larson aimed to do a weekend sweep – but that got undone with a runner-up finish in the Craftsman Truck Series. However, that did not diminish his resolve a bit. Clenching his teeth about the Truck Series heartbreak and aiming to pay tribute to the recent passing of Jon Edwards, Larson moved forward. He won the Bristol Xfinity race, leading for 277 of 300 laps. So, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, Larson is the favorite to win the 2025 Food City 500 race.

Hence, Denny Hamlin is pacing forward cautiously. Despite the dazzling prizes and titles visible at the other end of a victory, the JGR driver is focusing on the present. He confessed his modest approach recently to FOX Sports: “I try not to psych myself out too much about it because I think you sometimes put so much emphasis on those type of situations, and you end up making silly mistakes. I just try to be as even-keeled as I can. It is a new week. It is another great opportunity to win another race. If it just so happens that it is three in a row, that would be awesome and a very proud moment in my career, but it is not something that we set out to do each and every week.”

Denny Hamlin’s precise approach to Bristol is well-justified. Meanwhile, his luck is already paying dividends inside the casino. Do you think that is a positive signal for the racetrack? Let us know!