Seemingly Losing Playoff Momentum, Can NASCAR’s Favorite Villain Denny Hamlin Overshadow Kyle Larson at Vegas?

There are drivers who have won multiple championships and there are seasoned drivers who have never even seen the face of victory throughout their racing careers. And then, there is Denny Hamlin. In his 17 full seasons of driving Joe Gibbs‘ Toyota, this 42-year-old speedster had amassed 51 wins, including a win at the Coca-Cola 600, three wins at the Southern 500, and three at Daytona 500. But he doesn’t have a single championship to his credit so far.

To rub salt in the wound, his years as a driver are numbered owing to his age. Hence, the 23XI co-owner has been desperately launching his shots at the Championship title this year. Needless to say, standing in his way is the Hendrick Motorsports icon and his arch nemesis Kyle Larson. Since their on-track squabble at the Pocono “Tricky Triangle” Raceway, the rivalry between these two seekers of speed just doesn’t run out. But Denny has had his own share of problems to deal with.

Can Denny Hamlin fight against all odds and come out clean on the other side?

The playoff battle has never been devoid of misery for the Tampa native. Perhaps the closest Hamlin had advanced to winning a title was back in 2010, when he lost the lead to Jimmie Johnson in the Championship 4 race. Later, he made it to the coveted race in 2014, 2019, and 2020, but ultimately got ousted from the contention.

This year too, Denny Hamlin has had his share of playoff woes. Back to the opening playoff race at Darlington, despite leading 177 of the 367-lap-long race, Hamlin had to make an additional green-flag pit stop with just 94 laps to go, when he was running on a loose wheel. This forced him to a P30 finish, one lap down in the 36-car field.

Moving on to Kansas, he showed excellent speed, but that last overtime restart got the best of Hamlin. Kyle Larson, laying back behind him on the restart, got all his attention, so much that he forgot to capitalize on the restart and Tyler Reddick took home the win. Luckily, he seized the victory at Bristol, canceling his chances of not making it to the next round.

However, both Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson are locked into the round of 8, which is going to unfold at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It goes without saying that both Hamlin and Larson will go all out and perhaps, just perhaps, the racing community will witness a sequel to the Larson-Hamlin face-off.

Watch this story: NASCAR Fans Savagely Trash Denny Hamlin for Wrecking Himself at Sonoma

It might come down to a pure HMS-JGR face-off at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

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Well, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to think the race can come down to the two of them. There are 8 drivers in the playoff rumble as of now and 5 of them are either Rick Hendrick’s or Joe Gibbs’ drivers.

Interestingly, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson sit very close to each other in the points standings. While Hamlin sits third with 4032 points, Kyle Larson is not too far behind, flaunting 4024 points.

Looking at the track records of these two NASCAR stalwarts at LV Motor Speedway, the margin of difference between them is almost negligible. While Larson has an average finish of 9.8, Denny Hamlin sits at 10.4. But Denny Hamlin has run more races at Las Vegas than Kyle Larson. Moreover, Hamlin has 4 top-5 finishes at the 1.5-mile racetrack whereas Larson has 3. When it comes to total laps led, Hamlin beats Larson by 63.

The odds are somewhat in favor of Denny Hamlin. Not to jinx it, but what if another unforeseen turn of events catches him off-guard and poses a threat to his winning chances this year like in 2014, 2019, and 2020? Let’s cross our fingers, and hope that doesn’t happen.

Read More: Denny Hamlin Takes a Mean Jab At His Championship Drought As NASCAR Insider Hopes to “Eventually Get it Right”