Sixty Wins, Three Daytona 500s, and One Missing Piece for Denny Hamlin

PXL_20251030_210337102 — (Greg Engle, CupScene.com)

Denny Hamlin looked relaxed and said he was relaxed, but the veteran and winningest driver of the 2025 season conceded this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Championship Race represents a significant milestone for him even as he’s already turned in a celebrated career.

The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota earned an emotional 60th victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway three weeks ago to claim one of the weekend’s four title bids, and at the age of 44 sees no better time than the present to add a NASCAR Cup Series championship to a legacy that ranks him 10th on the all-time wins list in a career highlighted with three Daytona 500 trophies.

“It feels a little bit different,” said Hamlin, whose best championship finish was runner-up to Jimmie Johnson in 2010. “Less rushed, I guess you could say, and simply because we did so much of our (preparation) for Phoenix before this week, so less rushed is the biggest difference I feel over previous (Championship Four bids).”

This marks Hamlin’s fifth time in the Championship race under this format—the first since 2021—and he arrives at Phoenix with twice as many wins (six) than anyone else in the championship field this season.

“I definitely feel optimistic about it,” he allowed, adding, “Just generally in a good headspace.”

Yes, Hamlin conceded, he probably has the most pressure on him as the oldest championship eligible driver. But he is ready.

“Is this my last opportunity or not?” Hamlin asked rhetorically. “Any format change coming that will be a bigger sample size should be better for me in general, but you just never know. You have to seize the moment that’s right there in front of you.

“So, I would certainly confirm the pressure is probably most on me because these guys know they’ve still got a long way to go (in their careers).”