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Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Express Oil Change Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the … (+)
Denny Hamlin told some family and friends ahead of the 2024 NASCAR season that he thought it would be a big year for his No. 11 team. The veteran racer exudes confidence. On Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, the new Hamlin — a 20-year veteran of the sport — showcased his raw ability to manhandle a racecar.
Hamlin, in a 500-lap strategy-filled race at the famed half-mile short track, used old tricks to pick up his 52nd career Cup Series victory. With Goodyear tires showing plenty of wear and tear, drivers and teams had to pace themselves and saw the race as one of the most exciting challenges they’ve faced in years.
“This is the first time the driver played a huge role in a long, long time,” Hamlin said in his post-race press conference. “It’s a different philosophy from what we’re used to, which is everyone is just kind of on the gas all the time running the bottom, the shortest way around. Technique was a huge deal today.”
To win a race where the driver had a major role in the outcome, Hamlin believes, is among the top wins of his career.
“I know I had such a huge role in the result,” Hamlin said. “If the car was not good, I wasn’t going to win. But I feel like I played a huge factor in the result. It’s really a proud one for me. Certainly one of the more proud ones I’ve had in my career, no question.”
Hamlin is the winningest driver in series history to have never won a Cup Series title. He often jokes about the lack of a championship trophy in his home. At 43 years old, there won’t be many more opportunities to win it all, though he signed a multi-year extension with Joe Gibbs Racing last fall. However, Sunday’s contest showed he is as strong as ever.
The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran racer has won three Daytona 500s (all since 2016), and has nine top-five finishes in the championship standings over his previous 18 full-time seasons at the Cup level. In the last two seasons, even as a title favorite, Hamlin narrowly missed out on the Championship 4.
This year, Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing are off to a hot start. Christopher Bell and Hamlin have won the last two races as part of Nascar’s new short track package. At Phoenix, Toyota drivers led all but 14 laps. JGR also has Martin Truex Jr. tied for the regular season championship lead, while sophomore stud Ty Gibbs sits third in points through five races.
If this is anyone’s year to excel, it’s Hamlin. The new package forces the drivers to get creative with their driving style and save their tires. For Hamlin, this style of racing falls right into his wheelhouse.
The Cup Series will visit a road course for the first time this season on Sunday at Circuit of The Americas, when the green flag waves shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET.
