NASCAR Cup Series: 5 drivers poised for low-key championship runs
By Asher Fair
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin has been living in the shadows of teammates Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. at Joe Gibbs Racing this season, with those two drivers each having already secured a season-high four victories.
But Hamlin himself has had quite a productive year. He has earned two victories, including his second career Daytona 500 victory to open up the season at Daytona International Speedway, and he sits in fourth place in the championship standings. He has actually scored more overall points and more stage points than Truex Jr. has so far this year.
He has methodically put himself in a position where he has arguably the best chance to win a championship in his Cup Series career, and what he did in this past Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway proves it.
Hamlin had a chance to move Kevin Harvick out of the way on the final lap to win this race. He gave him a shove, but not interested in making enemies, he didn’t pull a Chase Elliott-style “wreck ’em” move like he did at Martinsville Speedway in the round of 8 in the 2017 season.
Two years ago, he might have, and two years ago when he did, he cost himself a chance at winning the championship.
Hamlin ultimately didn’t even win that race at Martinsville Speedway, and he was in a position to advance to the Championship 4 in the round of 8 finale at ISM Raceway before Elliott got retaliation by pushing the #11 Toyota into the wall, causing a tire to go down that ultimately sent Hamlin into the wall a few laps later, ending his race and his championship aspirations.
Hamlin was already locked into this season’s playoffs while Harvick wasn’t. Aside of five additional playoff points, which really won’t mean much if Harvick decides to get revenge at the right time — which, if he says he will, he will — what would Hamlin have gained by wrecking him?
To put it in the words of his teammate, Hamlin is more interested in winning the war than an individual battle at this point, and he has given himself the best chance to do so.