Denny Hamlin's goal still elusive NASCAR Cup Series championship
If Denny Hamlin is the greatest driver to never win a NASCAR Cup Series championship, then so be it. That's kind of how the 44-year-old driver with the 11th most career Cup wins in history is starting to look at it.
Heading into the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 1 (6 p.m. CT, Amazon Prime), the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and co-owner with Michael Jordan of 23XI Racing is poised for the second time in four years to make a run at the championship. He qualified for the NASCAR playoffs by winning at Martinsville on March 30 and followed that up with a win the next week at Darlington.
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Those two victories give Hamlin 56 for his career, making him the winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history without a championship.
So, how does he feel about that?
"I don't think that it's going to define my career," said Hamlin, who is widely considered a future NASCAR Hall of Famer. "I've got three Daytona (500s), three Southern 500s, a Coke 600 (Charlotte), I would love to get the Brickyard 400, I was really close last year. I just feel as though I've accomplished enough."
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Is Denny Hamlin speeding toward his first NASCAR Cup championship?
While Hamlin may be satisfied with what already has been accomplished in his 20-year Cup career, he's not taking his foot off the pedal anytime soon. Along with his two wins, he was second at Bristol and Phoenix, fifth at Miami, and sixth at Atlanta this season.
"Have I moved the bar or goals for myself over the course of my career? Absolutely," Hamlin said. "It used to be I was just aiming for 40 wins, and then I moved the bar to 50. And now it's 60. So I constantly challenge myself."
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Hamlin was in contention until late in last week's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. He led for 51 laps before experiencing fuel issues with 15 laps left.
Hamlin would not be the first elite driver to fail to win a championship if that is how it ends up. Others include Hall of Famers Carl Edwards, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin.
Denny Hamlin's goal still a NASCAR championship
Before the playoffs were introduced in 2004 drivers won championships by accumulating points through the season. From 1949-2003 the driver with the highest point total was awarded the championship.
The first driver to win a championship in the playoff system was Kurt Busch (2004). The most recent champion is Joey Logano (2024).
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"The championship is an accomplishment that I definitely want," Hamlin said. "It's the crowning accomplishment in our sport. But I only can control what I can control."
Hamlin has run well in three of the four races at Nashville. He won the pole and finished sixth in 2022, led 81 laps before being third in 2023 and won the pole again in 2024 and finished 12th.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Denny Hamlin focused on NASCAR Cup championship heading to Nashville
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