Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an iconic track — a crown jewel. Every driver wants to boast of a win at the Brickyard 400 and add it to their growing resume. But when NASCAR stopped racing there, it left a void in the hearts of fans and drivers alike. But now, the track had made a comeback after a three-year absence. And everyone, even the drivers with multiple wins this season, wants to win the race. Not only because they want to make it to playoffs—but because of the rich Indianapolis history. Not to forget, this track is not just a NASCAR favorite, but many other motorsports call it their home too- making it even more iconic.

Right now, the favorite going into the race to win seems to be Denny Hamlin! And well, he will be off to set a record if he does manage to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year.

Denny Hamlin could join the NASCAR greats!

Denny Hamlin was struggling with a slump for a while this season. Although with multiple wins, he had made his playoff spot quite comfortable–he did struggle with issues on track. For example, he finished 38th in Sonoma, followed by 24th-place finishes at both Iowa and New Hampshire, and he didn’t show much pace in Chicago either. However, he shifted gears in Pocono and delivered a standout performance. His car had the power, speed, and pace, and although Alex Bowman had the last laugh, he did give the Hendrick driver a run for his money.  

Heading into the Brickyard 400, Denny Hamlin is surely a force to be reckoned with. Firstly, everyone knows how Pocono is similar to Indianapolis in terms of restarts. In fact, Hamlin himself talked about it in his ‘Actions Detrimental’ podcast. He said, “It will be a track-position type racetrack, Hamlin said about Indy. It’s going to be wild on restarts. I think you’ll have restarts very similar to Pocono, where guys are trying to fit it in spots that are not there.”

So he understands the Brickyard 400 and its quirks, which is of course needed. Secondly, Hamlin’s pace, missing in Sonoma, seems to be back. Moreover, he has a hunger for it, as he wants to win this bad! He said in his podcast, “I want to win it bad.” No wonder he does- if he outshines everyone on the track, he will join the elite group of drivers who have won the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, and Brickyard 400. Merely 4 drivers have managed to do so and all of them are just legendary: Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick. This would indeed be a monumental achievement for Hamlin, cementing his name in racing history. 

And he does have a chance because he has had a good track record at IMS. He has five top-five finishes and eight top-ten finishes, with an average finish of 13.4 in 15 starts at this oval. In 2020, he came extremely close to winning the race, except he lost the battle to a blown-up tire and Kevin Harvick took the win. This is his golden opportunity to redeem himself in Indianapolis, and Kevin Harvick himself is placing the bets on the #11 driver.

Denny Hamlin: the favorite among veterans to win in Indianapolis

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So far, the JGR driver has been phenomenal, except, of course, with a few hiccups he had in between. He’s been killing it this season with three wins and finishing in the top 5 eight times and in the top 10 nine times, including a couple of second-place finishes. Hamlin is fourth in the points table with 683 points. So he has had brilliant runs, is off the slump, and has great experience racing in IMS, and hence, even veterans like Kevin Harvick are rooting for him. Kevin Harvick on his podcast had already said earlier that “Denny Hamlin’s tough” and yet again, he is choosing him for the win in IMS. Not just that, this time he even suggested that Hamlin would be the one to take the championship win home this year.

He said on the Kevin Harvick Happy Hour podcast, “I kind of spilled mine earlier. I just keep picking the #11. I think I did pick the #11 last week. I think they’re going to win. I think they’re going to win the championship this year.” He added, “If I had to pick today, that’s my guy,” clearly highlighting that all his bets go towards Hamlin.

Even a NASCAR insider is supporting Hamlin to win this race. Jordan Bianchi said, “I would expect Hamlin’s going to be very much in the mix on Sunday. Again, it goes back to the fact that he has never won this race before. He’s won the Coca-Cola 600, he’s won Daytona three times, he’s won the Southern 500. What is the one major that’s missing from his resume? It’s this one.” According to Bianchi, the only roadblock the JGR driver faces is not being able to please the rain gods. Well, Hamlin better hope the weather gods bless him on this day and it seems like they will.  

What do you think? Let us know if your bets are on him too.