Denny Hamlin claims some NASCAR champions are “worse drivers than him”
JGR veteran Denny Hamlin sees more significance to having over 60 race wins in the Cup series over having one championship and limited wins.
Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin is arguably the best driver ever in the sport who has never won the championship. He has over 54 Cup race wins to his name and is a first ballot Hall of Famer, when he becomes eligible. Though he treasures his dominant race win numbers, the lack of championship still hurts him a bit.
Recently Denny Hamlin expressed his feelings about the same and asserted that he is championship caliber driver, but he often got caught in the wrong side in the playoff format. He claimed that some driver who has won championship in his time in the sport are worse drivers than him. These comments are no surprise as Hamlin has long been a critic of the Chase format.
I know I’m a championship-caliber driver. I’ll just say it: I think there have been worse drivers than me who won a championship. I feel that way just because of how things that have worked out. It’s different now.
Denny Hamlin said in a recent media interaction as reported by Autoweek.
He went onto to assert that he cherishes having more wins than a championship as the format has changed a lot over the years. Hamlin isn’t ready to trade his wins for a championship as he values triumphing week in and week out more.
Find one driver saying that championships are the same now as they were 10 years ago. 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 wins and one championship. It’s just not even close.
Denny Hamlin added.
Kyle Petty brands Denny Hamlin’s Bristol race as a return to championship conversation
Denny Hamlin came into the 2024 playoff as a solid contender for the championship. But his poor performance in the first race took him out. So, he had to pull some magical performance at Bristol, which he did by securing a P4 finish. This has impressed ex-racer Kyle Petty, who believes Hamlin is back in the title fight again.
Denny freaking Hamlin. That’s what it was all about … They had to make something happen after the first two poor performances in this round. He went out, got his stage points in Stage 1, got his stage points in Stage 2, and did what he needed to do. That is what a champion team does and that is what a champion does.
Kyle Petty said.
The points made by Petty suggests Denny Hamlin is back on track and should use this momentum on his side win a race in the R-12 to secure a spot in the next-round. It will be interesting to see if the JGR veteran can finally win the championship this season.
Justin P Joy
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