Denny Hamlin has one disappointing tag attached to him in the NASCAR Cup Series. 19 years of racing in the top tier and he still hasn’t achieved a title. Although he finished as runner-up in 2010 and happens to be a favorite to win this year, according to his recent stats, he doesn’t look like he is on the strong foot. Hamlin changed his trajectory at Bristol and started to get top-10 finishes; however, the Roval again put him at P14. If he wants to win the title, Hamlin will need to put in all he has in the upcoming 4 races.

Lucky for him, the upcoming races are back to the more conventional NASCAR format where Hamlin has won in the past; however, things have been different ever since the Next-Gen cars emerged. With the playoffs in full motion, Eric Estepp decided to rate the driver’s probability of winning the title, and that’s when Denny Hamlin came up and it might be bad news.

What does Denny Hamlin need to do to fight for the title?

Having top 10 finishes in the playoffs is not very ideal, especially when other drivers are winning races. As of now, Denny Hamlin is again in the elimination zone, and he is 8 points away from making the cutoff. Being 6th in the standings seems like a safe place for him to be, considering that the upcoming tracks are ones that he is used to. But will that be enough?

Eric Estepp broke down his views on Denny Hamlin’s playoffs on his YouTube channel and stated, “Denny Hamlin survived the round of 16. He survived the round of 12. He has not been good at superspeedways or road courses in this car. Fortunately for Denny, the next two races are at traditional mile-and-half, then Martinsville.” Estepp explained how the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has strong stats at the upcoming races, saying, “Hamlin, I know it’s been a while, is a five-time Martinsville winner. He’s got a lot of clocks. But hey, even minus the paperclip, Hamlin has been so good at intermediates this year.”

Although he has a good track record in the upcoming races, Hamlin has not been showing results since the Next-Gen cars were introduced. He finished 5th in the last two years, missing out on a chance at the top 4 because of not winning races. Estepp then mentioned Denny Hamlin’s average finishes at other tracks in the past like Kansas, Charlotte, Darlington, Michigan, Pocono, and Las Vegas in spring. In all those tracks, Hamlin has an average finish of 6th, and although it’s pretty good, it wouldn’t be enough to win the championship.

After a brief of Hamlin’s stats, Estepp explained, “He’s eight points out and has absolutely no momentum, however, so gosh, let me come back to Denny—five out of 10 on the fence meter.” Winning the playoffs is not an easy task, especially when there is no momentum. With momentum, drivers also gain a lot of confidence, and that was visible more during the start of the season for Hamlin than during the playoffs. Eric Estepp doesn’t seem to be the only one talking about Hamlin as there are many figures from the NASCAR community that want to share their views on the No. 11 driver.

Denny Hamlin gets advice from Dale Jarrett

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Denny Hamlin has had an impressive season with wins at Bristol, Richmond, and Dover. He’s racked up seven top-five finishes and eight top-10 results. Yet, despite these achievements, there’s been a lot of discussion about whether this season might be his last real shot at winning the Cup Series championship. As younger stars like Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson continue to rise, whispers of Hamlin possibly feeling desperate for that elusive title have started making the rounds. But industry insider and former champion Dale Jarrett is quick to squash any talk of Hamlin being in “desperation mode.”

Dale Jarrett, speaking to NBC Sports, dismissed the idea that Hamlin feels this season is his final chance for a Cup win. “I will assure you, he’s not that,” Jarrett said confidently. He further added that Hamlin isn’t thinking this year is his last chance, nor does he believe his career will be incomplete without a championship.

Jarrett pointed out that Hamlin still has “a couple of more good years around him” and the potential to get the job done. With 59 career NASCAR Cup Series wins, Hamlin is already considered one of the sport’s greats. But, as Jarrett noted, there are legendary drivers—like Jeff Burton—who came close to a championship but never sealed the deal.

So judging by how he has performed this season, do you think he will be able to pull off a miracle in the upcoming races? Share your thoughts in the comments below.