Denny Hamlin’s got one last shot to crack the top 12 this year, and the pressure is on. At 48, with two decades in the Cup Series and no title to his name, one could say he’s running out of time.

But Bristol might just be his saving grace. He’s been dominant there, winning 2 of his last 3 races at the track. Sure, he lost playoff points earlier this year due to bad luck, but the JGR driver knows how to handle Bristol. Even NASCAR legend Mark Martin chimed in, noting he’s the guy to watch out for in the pivotal race.

Mark Martin praises Hamlin’s tire management

Hamlin has found himself in the eliminations of the playoffs because of his results in the last 4 races. Now Bristol is his last shot at making it into the top 12, and Mark Martin came forward to warn the other drivers about Hamlin’s expertise. During the 18th September episode of “On the Mark,” Martin made a bold claim, saying, “Denny Hamlin will be the man to beat.”

Despite Hamlin’s poor recent performance, many believe that Bristol will be a different story, with Hamlin even having the chance to win the race. What makes him such a good driver according to Martin is, “There’s nobody really in his league, as far as consistently being able to nurse tires and make them make them last; I mean, he’s just the best at Martinsville and Richmond.”

This was followed up by a question from his co-host Justin, who asked Martin to explain, “What makes somebody so good at saving a tire? Explain what the driver is doing to save a tire.” Justin knew that there was more to it than just controlling the car’s speed, and to clear his doubt, Martin explained.

He said, “The rear tires take more abuse than the front, and Denny has a way, of not using those rear tires and being able to make them last longer while still keeping their speed, like for me, the only way I know they had to go faster is to give it more gas, and I wasn’t good at Martinsville.”

The former NASCAR driver also revealed, “But Denny can make speed without abusing those rear tires at Martinsville, at Richmond, and of course, if you’ve got a tire that goes away like the Bristol tire did, then Bristol comes into the play the same way.” Evidently, Mark Martin is confident that Hamlin will be putting up quite a show at Bristol.

Denny Hamlin’s confidence in himself heading into Bristol

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Finishing 23rd during the playoffs is not a good sign, and Denny Hamlin has had a bad weekend at The Glen. However, after the disappointing race, Hamlin has shown confidence while heading into Bristol. “I feel like we can go there and win,” said Hamlin before heading into the final round before the elimination of the bottom 4 drivers from the playoffs.

Watkins Glen being a road course circuit is something that Hamlin is not the best at. Getting back into an oval track puts him back in his zone. Hamlin continued to reveal, “We are going to an oval, back to a normal track. We can control our own destiny there.”

The JGR driver has had good Bristol runs so far.

• He has won 54 races, and in total, 4 of them were at Bristol.
• In 2023, he won the Bristol race during the playoffs and then went ahead and claimed the win at the 2024 Food City Dirt Race in March too.

These consecutive wins have fans feeling confident about Hamlin surviving, but everything comes down to what happens on the track. With a few days left for the race, No. 11 has time to plan his strategy and try to make it into the top 12. That, of course, is just a baby step from his true goal, which is to win the championship.

Given how this season has unfolded and the streak of bad luck Denny Hamlin has faced, do you think he still has a real shot at the Cup Series Championship title?