In the storied confines of Darlington Raceway, where NASCAR history is as embedded in the walls as the legendary “Darlington stripe,” Denny Hamlin etched his name deeper into the sport’s annals on Sunday. His victory at the Goodyear 400 marked his 56th career win, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for 11th on the all-time wins list. But beneath the celebrations and burnouts lies a candid reality that Hamlin isn’t shying away from — a reality that could spell trouble for Joe Gibbs Racing despite their current winning streak.

This victory, Hamlin’s second in consecutive weeks following his dominant performance at Martinsville, came not through overwhelming speed but through perfect execution. While William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet led an astonishing 243 of 293 laps in a historically dominant performance, it was Hamlin’s crew that delivered when the pressure mounted. Heading into the pits, the #11 pit crew handed Hamlin the lead for the 2-lap shootout in the overtime finish.

Sure, they saw out the challenge and parked the No. 11 Sports Clip Camry in the victory lane. But by no means was Hamlin the most dominant driver on the day; perhaps Ryan Blaney could make a case for that. A three-peat by Bell and a double by Hamlin make JGR the team to beat in the early part of the season. But are the JGR cars the class of the field in these eight races? Hamlin doesn’t think so.

The Uncomfortable Truth Behind JGR’s Success

The numbers tell an impressive story on the surface. According to analyst Daniel Céspedes, Joe Gibbs Racing has now won five of the first eight races to start the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season — only the second time in team history they’ve accomplished this feat and just the fourth time this has happened in the modern era. With Denny Hamlin’s two victories and Christopher Bell’s early season success, the organization appears to be firing on all cylinders.

But Hamlin’s candid post-race comments revealed the seven words that should concern the entire organization: “There hasn’t been a lot of dominating.” The veteran driver didn’t mince words when assessing their performance, telling his team, “Don’t get offended when I debrief and say that we probably had an eighth place car.” Despite the trophy haul, Denny Hamlin believes JGR has legitimately had the best car in just two of their five victories — his Martinsville win and Bell’s Phoenix triumph.

“I don’t think that we’ve been, you know, short of last week, last week was domination,” Hamlin explained. “I see it as we had two times that we had the best car and won the race, and then we’ve had other things just kind of fall our way.” Bell’s No. 20 car was in the right place at the right time during the last lap chaos at Atlanta Raceway. Interestingly, it was Hamlin who sparked the late race caution at COTA that helped Bell close the gap on Kyle Busch and eventually win the race.

At Darlington, the veteran JGR driver was hoping to catch a good break after making a late race surge up the field. “To just hang around when you don’t have a race-winning car, don’t stuff it in the fence trying to get second when third’s a pretty good day.” Now, we’re not sure if Bubba Wallace played a major role in spinning Larson with 4 laps to go, but it sure did help his team owner in bagging his second win of the season.

But as the NASCAR circus heads to Bristol next weekend, the question remains: how long can JGR continue to win without consistently having the fastest cars? If there’s a silver lining to JGR’s speed concerns, it’s the emergence of their pit crews as difference-makers. Hamlin was quick to deflect personal praise for the Darlington win, instead highlighting the unsung heroes who turned a 9.4-second pit stop when it mattered most.

“I think certainly the pit crew will get their due this week, but we’re always the one that gets all the fanfare for the wins,” Hamlin reflected. “This is truly a team sport, and I love that when the pit crew has an opportunity on a green-white-checker and do what they did, like at Richmond a few years ago, take me from third to first, that is their Super Bowl, that is their moment to show out.”

As Hamlin chases a potential third consecutive win at Bristol next weekend, his stern assessment serves as both a warning and a rallying cry for Joe Gibbs Racing. “I like our outlook to win a lot of races this year,” he stated confidently, but the unspoken message is clear: for sustained championship-level success, finding more raw speed will be essential. For now, though, the combination of veteran driving, masterful strategy, and clutch pit stops has JGR sitting atop NASCAR’s mountain.

While JGR needs to work on their speeds as far as post-race antics are concerned, Hamlin has that covered. After the win at Martinsville he waved a flag that stated, “11 Agianst the world,” and this gesture garnered a mix of cheers and boos. This left a lasting impression on his partner Michael Jordan.

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How Basketball’s GOAT Influences Hamlin’s Racing Mentality

While Denny Hamlin juggles his responsibilities as both driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and co-owner of 23XI Racing, his partnership with NBA legend Michael Jordan has infused his racing approach with an unmistakable competitive edge. Jordan, who co-owns 23XI with Hamlin, sees a mirror image of his own competitive fire in the NASCAR veteran. “He’s a clown, but that’s him,” Jordan candidly said of Hamlin. “His competitive juice is no different than mine. I love that. I want him to win a championship so badly because I think he’s earned that.“

This shared mentality of thriving under pressure and using adversity as fuel has become a cornerstone of both Hamlin’s driving style and team ownership philosophy. “If you boo him, that makes him better. If you boo me, that makes me better. I mean, that’s just the nature of a good competitor,” Jordan explained, highlighting the psychological similarities between basketball’s greatest player and NASCAR’s current hot hand. As Hamlin continues his pursuit of an elusive championship, Jordan’s influence provides an intangible edge that statistics can’t measure.

The success formula appears to be working across both teams. Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace at 23XI Racing maintain impressive showings in points standings. MJ liked to prove his haters wrong and put on a show for them every time he stepped on the court. And now that he’s entered the ovals of NASCAR, his infectious energy has spread within the 23XI Racing camp.

“I’m so happy,” Jordan reflected on 23XI’s progress. “The only thing that you can ever ask for as an owner, and probably as a team, is just have a chance… each week, we unload the cars, we have a chance.” It’s this championship mentality; they came close last year to win the championship with their first-ever final four appearance. And that has raised the bar even higher for the folks at 23XI Racing in terms of delivering results.