Denny Hamlin Left Shocked After Realizing His 11-Year Old Record Still Stands Strong

Recently, it transpired that one particular NASCAR record from a decade ago has stood the test of time. Joe Gibbs Racing star Denny Hamlin managed to achieve a unique feat at the Charlotte Motor Speedway that has reportedly remained unbroken to date. The scene of the remarkable feat was the 2013 Coca-Cola 600 qualifying session where Hamlin, despite coming back from a broken back, not only turned the fastest lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but he shattered the track record at 195.624 mph. When a recent X thread discussing the event caught his attention, Hamlin was astonished and only had a one-word reply.

When Denny Hamlin outran 7-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR insider Trey Ryan shared a list featuring the top-8 fastest Coca-Cola 600 qualifying speed holders. Sitting atop with 195.624 mph was Denny Hamlin, who even managed to trump the likes of 7-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who sat at No.2 with 194.91 mph. As the tweet went viral, garnering more than 40,000 views, a curious fan questioned why the video attached to the original tweet was devoid of Hamlin’s lap despite him being the fastest.

The user wrote, “Was Denny’s lap not available or did you figure 2005 would get more views because gen4.” Disclosing the reason behind Hamlin’s absence and appreciating the driver, Ryan replied, “I tried to find Denny’s lap but I could not find it unfortunately. It would have been great to use because it was still single car qualifying and that 2013 car was incredible in q-trim.” Soon after, the conversation caught the eye of Denny Hamlin, the man of the hour.

He couldn’t believe that nobody had managed to break his record. It is also worth pointing out that Hamlin set that record at a time when NASCAR implemented the single-car qualifying system where each driver was sent out one by one and ran two timed laps. The order in which they are deployed is in reverse order from their practice times, from slowest to fastest. Safe to say, once Hamlin found out about his long-standing record, he only had one thing to say about it. He simply tweeted, “Damn.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s 2013 attempt broke Ryan Newman’s record of 192.99 mph in 2005. It took eight years for that record to tumble, and now the NASCAR Cup Series will be running 11 years since Hamlin’s made history.

Hamlin holds a good record at Charlotte Motor Speedway with him winning the race there in 2022, nearly a decade after his record-breaking finish.

READ MORE: NASCAR Cup Series Summary Highlights Denny Hamlin’s Penalty-List Absence Despite Notorious Speeding Streak

How good has the Charlotte Motor Speedway treated the #11 driver?

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The 2013 Coca-Cola 600 was Denny Hamlin’s 16th Cup start at the Charlotte track. Additionally, his best start was 4th place, prior to this pole position. He also boasted five Top-10 finishes in the last five appearances at Charlotte, before 2013. In fact, he even finished as the runner-up in 2012 and eventually won the race in 2022. About timing, Denny Hamlin completed his fastest lap in 27.604 seconds. The old track record was two and a half tenths slower than Hamlin’s time. Also, bear in mind that Denny Hamlin had just come back from a back fracture that saw him out of action for four races.

The 2013 Charlotte race was his third race since the injury, and the previous week, he had finished 2nd behind teammate Matt Kenseth. As for this race, he eventually finished in fourth place, behind Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, and Kurt Busch, respectively. Since then, Hamlin has gone from strength to strength in the last decade. Hopefully, the driver will be taking his maiden Cup title home in the upcoming season. What do you think?

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin Lashes Out at Michael Jordan’s Driver for Ruining His Darlington Performance