Dale Earnhardt Jr. Names the Only Two Drivers Capable of Securing 60 Cup Race Wins After Denny Hamlin

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has given his verdict on Denny Hamlin and his compatriots getting into the 60-race win mark.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Names the Only Two Drivers Capable of Securing 60 Cup Race Wins After Denny Hamlin

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)

The Michigan International Speedway last Sunday witnessed Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin securing his first win after 700th start. It was his 57th career win, making the racers with the most victories in JGR history, and he closed the gap to the magical 60 Cup triumphs number. According to Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. there is only two drivers in the garage who could match that stat.

The drivers in the question are the three times NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and the 2021 Cup winner Kyle Larson. But there are some conditions for the duo, who now currently has less than 40 wins, to get to that mark according to Dale Earnhardt Jr., the JR Motorsports co-owner. They have to remain racing with the likes of Penske and HMS as they are doing now.

Logano is 35 years old and has 37 wins. Logano, in my opinion, is the only one that could probably get there. Larson could do it. The only thing is, is Larson and Joey have to stay in the Championship-winning cars to get to that number. That’s the problem.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said via Dale Jr. Download.

The major reason behind Hamlin’s success is the fact that he started his career at JGR and has been winning races with them ever since. At the same time both Logano and Larson had to spent time with other teams before finding their groves at their current side. Logano had spent a disappointing stint with JGR before proving his worth with Penske, while Larson spend seven years with Chipp Ganassi Racing before joining Rick Hendrick’s team.

The other major challenge facing the Logano-Larson duo, both of whom past their 30’s, is the threat of young drivers coming in hot are stealing wins. So, they have to consistently remain as the leading driver of the team, driver championship worthy cars for around five to ten years in order get into the legendary 60 wins mark.

If something happens — there’s new drivers coming in, always the next best thing and the greatest guy — as long as you don’t become the B or the C driver at the great teams, as long as Joey and Larson are in Championship cars, which that sounds crazy to think they’ll never be but you just never know what might happen in five, 10 years.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. asserted.

Joey Logano being 37 years old, and someone who entered the sport at the age of 19 reduces the chances of him racing for 10 more season in the sport, as the physical toll is a bit too much. In the case of Larson, Dale Jr.’s concern is how long the star driver is willing to race as there is chances of him retiring early or retiring very late.

Larson might not want to race that long, you just don’t know. He might race till he’s 60, who knows? He might win 80 races.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Kyle Petty doesn’t expect the Dale Earnhardt Jr. prediction to come true

Talking about the same situation, ex-NASCAR Cup racer Kyle Petty shared his thoughts on any other racer other than Denny Hamlin getting into the 60+ cup winners list. He knows both Logano and Larson are contenders, but the probability of other racers taking the spotlight as well as career longevity issues is a point of big concerns for them.

Kyle Petty and Denny Hamlin
Kyle Petty and Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)

Denny Hamlin’s going to get to 60 Cup wins. Don’t think we’re going to see another driver do it. I know everyone wants to talk Joey Logano. I know everybody wants to Kyle Larson, and there may be somebody that comes along years from now that gets close.

Kyle Petty said.

The comments from the racers, who used to beef with Denny Hamlin too often, shows how consistent and impressive the JGR veteran career has been over the last two decades. It would be interesting to see whose prediction will come true about Joey Logano and Kyle Larson’s career.

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