“There’s Been Worse Drivers Win a Championship” – Denny Hamlin Has Moved Past His Inability To Finish a Season On Top

When Denny Hamlin walked away with his 54th career win at Dover International Speedway, fans of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver were starting to believe in a fight for the championship. With the battle between JGR and Hendrick Motorsports heating up as only one victory separates the HMS’ lead, Denny Hamlin is single-handedly turning the 2024 narrative from HMS dominance to a clash of the Titans.

That being said, the 23XI Racing co-owner doesn’t resonate with his previously unending appetite for a Cup Series championship anymore. For the established veteran, nothing could feel better than hitting that sixty mark on his Cup Series win tally instead.

After bringing home a dominant win at Dover, Denny Hamlin reveals his Cup Series end-game

Before the #11 JGR Camry crossed the line at the Monster Mile to bring home JGR’s fourth win of the season, there was no entity more confident in his ability to win than Hamlin himself. So after “calling” his win at Dover, Denny Hamlin channeled his “villain” status to call out some Cup Series champions. He shared with the media after the race, “Listen, I know that I’m a championship-caliber driver. Okay, I’ll just say it, I think there’s been worse drivers win a championship than me. I just feel that way just because of things that have worked out, but it’s different.”

Throughout his career, Denny Hamlin has been able to capture the world of NASCAR not by becoming a multi-time champion like Jimmie Johnson, but by following the path of drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. However, Hamlin still has a shot to bring home the championship, and arguably this is the best chance at him doing so. Still, the 23XI racing co-owner sidelined the importance of winning a championship to favor joining Kevin Harvick with sixty wins.

He explained, “Find one driver saying that championships are the same today as they were ten years ago. That’s just not. I care about wins, and winning every single week. Because in the end, I absolutely would take 60 some wins and no championship over 20 and one. It’s just not even close.” For Hamlin, the stakes become higher each weekend that he runs close to the lead, and the battle with Kyle Larson as he air-blocked the HMS superstar reminded Hamlin of how much winning means to him.

The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver concluded, “So I just think that it’s fun to be able to do it, and when you can do it against someone that you’ve really considered a big challenger, in Kyle Larson. I mean, he’s a champion, not a challenger, I’m probably the challenger. But I think that it certainly helps your ego a little bit. Like I needed that.” With the 23XI Racing co-owner now eyeing Kansas Speedway as the next spot of his dominance, it’s only a matter of time before the #11 begins to challenge William Byron for the top spot.

That being said, although Denny Hamlin may not be focused on the way his season ends, the start of the 2024 season speaks volumes of the #11 JGR crew’s competence.

Despite a few hiccups, Denny Hamlin believes 2024 has been “the most competitive” start to any season

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Throughout his career, Denny Hamlin has achieved great success in many dominant seasons. However, according to the 23XI Racing co-owner himself, none have come as close to the momentum that the #11 JGR crew has in 2024. Every time that Hamlin has finished in the top five, he’s won. Other times, the #11 car has fallen victim to other driver’s shenanigans or pit cycles. That being said, Hamlin highlighted how the start of this season has been truly the stuff of dreams.

Hamlin shared with the media, “I’ve had so many years that it’s hard for me to, I’m sure ones have slipped past that you don’t pay attention to. But I mean, I think we’ve led in every race this year, and not by accident or through pit cycles, like we legit led. I think it’s only our third top five, though. We have three wins and three top-fives, so we either crash or we win. I really wish I could have Texas back and a few others, but yeah, I would say it’s probably the most competitive that I’ve been to start a season. Absolutely.” 

Before Hamlin won at Dover, we had stated how he was one of the only veterans remaining that could ‘walk the talk’. And taking a look at the #11 JGR driver’s optimistic outlook at the start of his season, could Denny Hamlin finally bring home that elusive championship now that his focus is elsewhere?