Could this finally be the year? Denny Hamlin is one of NASCAR’s most bizarre cases. Despite years of dominance in the Cup Series, the veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver has failed to win a Championship so far. At the age of 44, many believe that the Florida native is past his prime, and the Bill France Cup will always remain beyond his grasp, despite coming agonizingly close on several occasions. However, a minor but significant change in tires could prove to be the difference maker this time around.

Goodyear’s new soft compound of short tracks seems to be playing to Hamlin’s strengths. Could this change propel the No. 11 Toyota driver to finally find his edge in the upcoming NASCAR campaign?

Denny Hamlin has reasons to be confident in 2025

Denny Hamlin’s talent is unquestionable. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won two or more races in six consecutive seasons, finishing the season fourth or higher five times in his illustrious career. Few drivers can match the Florida native’s sheer speed and determination to win, especially on short tracks, where the racer tends to perform exceedingly well when the conditions are right. He’s the only active Next-Gen driver with five wins at Martinsville Speedway and each of his three wins in 2024 came on short tracks as well.

With Goodyear developing a softer tire for short tracks, NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp speculated about Denny Hamlin’s chances in 2025. He said, “We saw at Bristol last spring, the more tire wear, the better Denny Hamlin is. So that’s my theory. Denny Hamlin already is one of the best short track racers. You give him a tire that works to his advantage, Denny Hamlin could be dangerous on the short ovals, especially to start the year.”

Hamlin’s results, while using the softer compound, speak for themselves. The tire was introduced at Richmond Raceway last year, a race that the No. 11 Toyota driver dominated by leading 124 laps and finishing in second place. Later that year, the veteran driver started from rock bottom at Martinsville Speedway but went on to steadily climb grid positions to finish in the top five. In 2025, the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray was another indication of his dominance with Goodyear’s new tire, as he led 28 laps at ‘The Madhouse’ and finished the pre-season exhibition race in third place.

Going by his performances, Denny Hamlin can take plenty of positives going into the 2025 campaign. The 44-year-old will be competing at Martinsville in the seventh race of the season, which would be an excellent opportunity to secure a win and a playoff berth. Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway will also present the veteran with a chance to make use of Goodyear’s soft compound to his advantage, which could be the difference maker, etching him toward the elusive Bill France Cup.

Hamlin praises Goodyear for their short-track tire

Denny Hamlin doesn’t mince his words. The racing driver has not hesitated to call out Goodyear for creating tires that have struggled on short tracks in the past, describing their process as “imperfect” and saying that the tire maker has “tolerances” because of an outdated production line, which leaves margin for error. NASCAR has been working overnight to find a solution to the Next-Gen car’s struggles on the short tracks, which have been described as boring because of the lack of overtaking opportunities and limited tire falloff.

However, the softer compound made by Goodyear seems to have made all the difference. Giving credit where it’s due, Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast, “The on-track standpoint… we talk about them a lot, we give them a lot of s–t, like the Goodyear tires. I think that we finally got a good short-track tire here that creates the ability to pass after they start to wear.” The veteran racer went on to say, “I think this is a good tire and it’s certainly helping short-track racing with the Next-Gen car.”

It seems like NASCAR has finally found a solution to its short-track woes. The soft compound allowed drivers and teams to devise different strategies, making it an interesting watch for fans. The sanctioning body will run tests using Goodyear’s new tire at Phoenix Raceway in the spring. Could this potentially pave the way for the compound to be used at the Championship 4 event later this year? Time will tell. However, that will give Denny Hamlin a significant advantage, should he remain in contention for the championship trophy at ‘the desert oddball’. Do you think Denny Hamlin will capture the elusive Cup Series Championship in 2025?