The veteran driver proved that he’s still got it with decisive wins at two of NASCAR’s most challenging tracks.
Early in the 2025 season, there has been a lot of discussion about the seemingly unstoppable Christopher Bell. In reality, all four Joe Gibbs Racing cars have shown speed, but it’s easy enough to ignore that simple fact. Chase Briscoe is experiencing growing pains as he adjusts to his new team, it’s only natural. Ty Gibbs, still searching for his first Cup win, has been struggling a bit behind the wheel, but let’s not forget how young he is. He still has plenty of time to mature as a driver and show the incredible skill he demonstrated in ARCA and Xfinity.
That leaves Denny Hamlin. Most of the news about Hamlin has been in regards to his team, 23XI, and its ongoing legal battle with NASCAR. When the racing media does talk about Denny, most of the discussion hinges around retirement. Over the past two weeks, however, Denny has shown that he’s still as competitive as ever – and he’s still able to find ways to win.
At Martinsville, Hamlin has routinely run well, with a well-documented mastery of the tiny, tricky track. It’s surprising that Hamlin actually went a decade without a win there. That’s racing for you – you can do just about everything right and get tremendously unlucky when it matters most. Two Sundays ago, however, Hamlin dominated with a performance that reminded us of just how freakishly good he is at NASCAR’s shortest track.
Last weekend, at the notoriously difficult Darlington Raceway, Hamlin showed us a different way to win. It’s something we see out of the man often – he’ll spend most of the race hanging out, just outside of the conversation, and then, at the end, bam. He’s right there in the thick of it when it matters most. It takes a lot of skill to manage a race to that degree, and in this way, it’s proof positive that Hamlin’s age – we went almost the whole article without talking about it – is an advantage, not a detriment.
Hamlin’s ability to show up at the end and make a run of it is reminiscent of Darrel Waltrip, another driver whose aggressive driving and outspoken personality made him a polarizing figure. Like Waltrip, many Hamlin haters have come around to him in recent years, thanks in no small part to his podcast Actions Detrimental. No matter how you think you feel about the man, you should acknowledge the fact that you’re going to miss Hamlin when he’s gone. Thankfully, he owns a team, so even when he retires, he’s going to be around the sport for a good long while. We’ll get plenty of sound bites out of the man for years to come.
Speaking of soundbites, Hamlin gave much of the credit for his Darlington win to his pit crew. A blisteringly fast stop, thanks in no small part to an old school jack swing around the front bumper, put him out front after a late race caution. As usual, Hamlin nailed the restart and never looked back. Bad news for the rest of the field, the series heads to another short track, Bristol, this weekend. Will Hamlin be the second JGR driver to win three in a row this season?
Photo: Associated Press
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