Denny Hamlin Determined “to Complete His Resume of Majors” With Brickyard 400 Win

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin has shared his thoughts on expectations for the upcoming Indianapolis Motor Speedway race.

Denny Hamlin Determined “to Complete His Resume of Majors” With Brickyard 400 Win

Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)

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Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin is coming into this weekend’s race, the Brickyard 400, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with momentum on his side following the Dover win last Sunday. He also has the confidence boost from the multi-year contract extension he has signed with JGR, ending uncertainty over his future plans.

Out of the 58 race wins Denny Hamlin has secured so far in his career, eight of them have been crown jewel races. Talladega and Indy are two of the five elite tracks in the list; he is left to score a Cup race win at. This is an additional motivation for the veteran to level up his game this weekend, at the race where his best finish is P3 from 16 starts.

He wants to complete his resume of major race wins before his career concludes, and kissing the bricks at IMS is top of the priority list. Hamlin needs to start the weekend strong with a good qualifying, and securing pole like he did in 2012 would be impressive. The No. 11 Toyota is more determined than ever to better his career best at the track from 2018.

It certainly would complete a resume of majors and certainly, I would like to get a few more of those before my career is over with. Big race here and certainly, being part of the oval makes it a little more special as well.

Denny Hamlin told Marty Snider of TNT Sports (Via On3.com)

The three times Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin came closer to winning in the road course races at the track than Ovals, in many close calls he had at the venue. But not with the oval’s races back on the schedule, he has the opportunity. If he had won it wouldn’t have been as special as if he had won the race on the Oval, which he hoped to do this week.

I probably was as close on the road course as I was on the oval here at this track. Just had so many close calls over the years, and just never been able to get to the checkered first. Certainly, would love to do that this weekend.

Denny Hamlin added.

Denny Hamlin always gave his best at Indy

Further talking about the point, the most successful racer in the history of JGR pointed out that over the years he has given his best to try to win a race at Indy over the years. But things didn’t always work out due to issues with cars or other factors, hence he is looking to learn from those mistakes and produce a solid run.

Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin (David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier via AP)

I’ve given it my best effort. There’s not a whole lot I would change in the races I’ve had here. Obviously, a few things you would tweak here and there, but I feel like I’ve given it my best effort. Just things haven’t always worked out.

Denny Hamlin said.

But it won’t be easy for the veteran to win at Indy, with the Hendrick Motorsports versus Joe Gibbs Racing battle getting reignited again. He will have to face massive challenges from the likes of Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Chase Elliott, all of whom are chasing redemption after a poor streak in the recent races.

The next set of challengers are from the Toyota garage itself in Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, who came close to winning the race last week and have fast cars. The Team Penske drivers, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, will also be major factors in the race on Sunday. It would be interesting to see how Denny Hamlin will perform under the pressure from the big-3.

Also Read: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Makes “Ready to Win Championship” Prediction on Kyle Larson Amidst Poor Cup Streak