Denny Hamlin has a “Deja Vu” Moment as Daughter Taylor Picks Her Champion for 2024

The 2024 Daytona 500 is just around the corner, but some are already looking way beyond that. In an upcoming episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin offered a sneak peek behind the scenes. Heading into ‘spoiler’ territory, apparently, Hamlin’s older daughter Taylor would be making an appearance on the podcast.

In a small snippet, he asked her to make her predictions on who would be the 2024 Cup Series champion. For the sake of avoiding favoritism, he counted himself out of the picture. Taylor, on the other hand, confessed that she had a feeling that her father’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell could be a potential winner. However, she did say that Denny Hamlin would enjoy a good campaign, but the often-overlooked Bell could put one on the scoreboard.

Denny Hamlin’s daughter on a different train

Of course, the #11 driver was a bit surprised at her choice of champion. He mentioned on his podcast, “I feel like this is deja vu. Did this not happen last week? I just had a deja vu moment. I feel like Taylor said before, that she’s on the Christopher Bell train.”

READ MORE: “I’m Going Home”- Christopher Bell Painfully Concedes Defeat to Chase Elliott After Heartbreaking Season Opener

Immediately, his daughter clarified that previously she was backing Kurt Busch. Unfortunately, he had to burst her bubble because the older Busch has long since retired from racing. The good news for the little one is that Bell is a solid candidate, especially considering his last two seasons. As the NASCAR: Full Speed docuseries depicts, the #20 driver is often glossed over and not counted as a championship favorite.

Is Christopher Bell capable of winning the championship?

As mentioned before, he came close to winning the title for two consecutive seasons. Last season, he got incredibly unlucky with a blown brake rotor, ruining his chances in the season finale at Phoenix. As a result, the baby-faced assassin was forced to walk away empty-handed, while Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney dueled. In the end, the latter emerged victorious and snatched his first career Cup Series title.

So it is safe to say that he is definitely capable of winning a NASCAR Cup Series championship. The 29-year-old has six wins to his name, and two of them came during the 2023 Cup Series season. In fact, his latest win was at the third-to-last race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. When the 2024 season arrives, Bell will be keen to hit the ground running alongside his teammates. The path to that maiden title will not be easy, with so many strong drivers, especially his highly motivated teammates.

WATCH THIS STORY: Kyle Larson’s Victory and Respect for Christopher Bell