NASCAR: Is 2020 Denny Hamlin’s year to win the championship?

After a career year in 2019, Denny Hamlin comes into 2020 still looking for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship. Can he get that first title this year?

In 2019, Denny Hamlin had one of his best seasons of his NASCAR Cup Series career. The only season it is really comparable to is 2010, when he won eight races and finished in second place in the championship standings.

But Hamlin’s success was even more sustained in 2019 compared to 2010. He recorded 19 top five finishes in 2019, five more than he did in 2010, and 24 top 10 finishes, six more than he did in 2010.

Additionally, for the first time in his career, he finished a season with a top 10 average finish at 9.5. In 2010, he had an average finish of 12.9. The consistency for Hamlin last year really made it his best year yet. His 2019 season really came as a surprise for many people, and for multiple reasons.

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First of all, Hamlin had one of his worst seasons in 2018. It was the first time in his career that he went a full season without winning a race. Not only did he not win a race, but he was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The season was a bust for him and it really tested him in the long run.

Going into the 2019 season, many people speculated that it may be Hamlin who was in danger of losing his ride at Joe Gibbs Racing. With Christopher Bell on the rise and lurking in the Xfinity Series, it was believed to be possible that a driver from Joe Gibbs Racing could be moved, and after the 2018 season, Hamlin was thought to be on the hot seat.

Obviously, he eliminated those talks with his 2019 campaign.

Hamlin’s rather unexpected success also came amid the addition of new crew chief Chris Gabehart. Gabehart was brought in to replace Mike Wheeler, who served as Hamlin’s crew chief from 2016 to 2018.

Before coming over to the #11 Cup Series team, Gabehart had served as the crew chief for Brandon Jones in the Xfinity Series in 2018. Jones failed to win a race and finished in ninth place in the championship standings.

That led to skepticism from some people, but Gabehart had had success on top of the box before that. In 2016, he was the crew chief for Erik Jones in the Xfinity Series. That year, Jones won four races and made it to the Championship 4.

Gabehart also was the interim crew chief for Hamlin in 2017 at Richmond Raceway. He filled in for crew chief Mike Wheeler when Wheeler was suspended after the #11 Toyota failed post-race inspection following the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, which Hamlin won.

Gabehart guided Hamlin to a fifth place finish and that may have played a role in him earning the job as crew chief for Hamlin in 2019.

With how well Gabehart and Hamlin did in 2019, it does seem like they have potential for sustained success. It would be success that Hamlin has not had since the days of his first crew chief, Mike Ford. Gabehart is looking to be a top-tier crew chief, and with a few more years like 2019, he will be up there in talks with Chad Knaus and Rodney Childers.

With all that in mind, Hamlin seems poised to make another run at the championship in 2020. He comes into the year as one of the favorites to win the title.

There is no reason to count the #11 team out, as they were the most consistent team as a whole in 2019. If Hamlin can gather all the playoff points he did in 2019 and make it to the Championship 4 for the second consecutive year, he is going to have a good shot at winning his first title.

With Phoenix Raceway set to host the season finale in 2020, Hamlin has to be a favorite if he makes it to the Championship 4. He was able to dominate the round of 8 race at the track this past November, and he made it to the Championship 4 for the first time since 2014 because of it.

There is no telling how much longer Denny Hamlin has left in his NASCAR Cup Series career, but the 2020 season is going to give him another great chance to win a championship, and he cannot let these kinds of opportunities slip through his hands.