Warning bells are ringing! After all, few would have predicted that NASCAR Cup Series favorites Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin would have a poor start to their 2025 campaign. With three races having passed by, neither driver has entered Victory Lane yet, despite securing promising results at Atlanta Motor Speedway. However, with 22 fixtures remaining before the playoffs begin, is it too soon to hit the panic button, or do both racers need to inject a sense of urgency in their approach?

It might all depend on how the next few weeks play out. Both Larson and Hamlin have a history of coming alive as the season progresses, especially on tracks they have traditionally excelled at. Could history repeat itself this time around to lock them into the postseason?

Is time running out for Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin?

They say, “Form is temporary, class is permanent.” That certainly holds true for Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, whose immense experience at NASCAR’s highest level makes them forces to be reckoned with. Both drivers haven’t had the best start to their season, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver cemented his reputation as a superspeedway struggler by finishing 20th at Daytona International Speedway. Meanwhile, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran hasn’t fared much better either, finishing 24th at the ‘World Center of Racing.’

However, everything changed at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Determined to bounce back after the Daytona heartbreak, both Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin stepped up at the 1.5-mile oval and ended the race third and sixth, respectively. However, the results at the newly overhauled Circuit of the Americas road course left much to be desired once again, with neither driver breaking into the top 20 at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, raising questions about their NASCAR Cup Series form this year.

Larson, who had the better race out of the two drivers, lost the lead in the final lap in the run-up to the finish line. While Yung Money had taken the white lap first, Christopher Bell’s clever positioning along the outside essentially forced Larson to give up. Larson explained, “I think if I didn’t let the No. 20 (Christopher Bell) get to my outside, I would have had an opportunity, but he would probably split to my inside into (turn) one and clear me. If I don’t hesitate, the wreck probably doesn’t happen. So yeah, I don’t know. I haven’t seen a replay yet. But yeah, bummer not to get a win. I’m proud of the effort today by this No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy team. We had a lot of fun. It was super intense.”

His words have a clear message: it’s too early to panic. Kyle Larson’s favorite tracks are ahead of him, and the Hendrick Motorsports driver will look to capitalize on those opportunities when the time comes. Since February 2022, the No. 5 Chevy driver has had an average finish of 3.3 at Bristol Motor Speedway in 4 appearances, securing one win and four top-five results as well as leading a staggering 535 laps. The upcoming Cook Out 400 at Martinsville also represents a good opportunity for the racer, as he has an average finish of 5.5 in six appearances on the shortest track of the calendar. Similarly, Nashville, New Hampshire, and Kansas Speedway represent good chances for the driver to make up the ground after a poor start to his NASCAR season.

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Denny Hamlin appears to be in a similar boat. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has a fantastic record at Bristol Motor Speedway since February 2022, securing two wins in four appearances while leading 305 laps at the short track. Kansas also represents a good opportunity for the 44-year-old, as he has an average finish of 3.7 at the intermediate track, getting one win and five top-five results in six appearances. Richmond, Michigan, Nashville, and Dover will also give the No. 11 Toyota driver chances to enter Victory Lane. The bigger problem for Hamlin isn’t from the outside, it’s from within his team!

Christopher Bell’s blistering start to the 2025 season has been one to remember. Will he go for the title? Will he win four consecutive races? That remains to be seen but from what’s visible to fans, Hamlin’s clearly worried. Speaking on his podcast, Hamlin said, “For me, personally, this was not a good start schedule wise for me, the first three races, two superspeedways and a road course. Now, the superspeedways gives me anxiety because I always get crashed in them. It’s not anything I’m doing wrong. You know you have a chance of ending with three 30 place finishes in a row. You always measure yourself off your teammates…I’m congratulating Heather (JGR co-owner) and Joe, it’s a big win for the team. But as a driver, as a competitor, we do not like seeing our teammates win.” 

One comfort both Hamlin and Larson have is that they aren’t alone in their struggle.

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Another NASCAR veteran has had a slow start

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson aren’t the only NASCAR veterans who have failed to hit the ground running in 2025. RFK Racing co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski appears to be in a similar boat, having finished no higher than 15th in the opening three races. The Michigan native is in his 16th full-time Cup Series season, but with two wrecks and one early retirement already, things are not looking good for the 41-year-old. As things stand, the racer is currently 26th in the drivers’ standing, 73 points behind leader William Byron.

Sharing his insights about Keselowski’s situation, FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick said, “Every point matters.” The 2014 championship winner went on to say, “I think that at some point, the consistency of winning for Brad has to be there like it was at Penske from the driver’s side, but right now we haven’t seen that. We saw flashes of that last year for a brief moment there in the middle of the year, and he did what he needed to do, capitalizing on a mistake there from Buescher and his circumstances, but it’s just not what we expect out of Brad.”

Despite failing to break into the top 10, Keselowski isn’t worried just yet. Even though his No. 6 Ford hasn’t performed the way he would have wanted, the NASCAR veteran is keeping an eye on the calendar and said, “Everyone knows that the real metric for the season is when we get through Phoenix and Vegas.” Going by his expectations, the next two weeks could be a make-or-break in the 41-year-old’s season. Will Hamlin, Larson, and Keselowski turn their season around in the months ahead? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!