NASCAR: 10 future Hall of Famers among 2020 drivers
By Asher Fair
Future NASCAR Hall of Famers: #6 – Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin is the first driver on this list and the only one who has not been crowned NASCAR Cup Series champion. Even with that in mind, there is no argument against him as a Hall of Famer, especially considering the modern-day championship format.
Hamlin, who has only ever driven for Joe Gibbs Racing, has many times pointed to the fact that he won’t consider his career to be incomplete if he never wins a championship since he could technically win 35 races and finish in second place in the season finale and lose the title fight under the current format — possibly to the driver who finished the regular season in 30th in points, no less.
It’s hard to argue against him. Many thought Hamlin was washed up after his winless 2018 season, the first winless season of his 13-year career at that time, but he has forced everyone to think otherwise ever since.
With new crew chief Chris Gabehart, the 2016 Daytona 500 winner added to his trophy collection with another Daytona 500 win to open the 2019 season. Following a six-win season that saw him advance to the Championship 4, he won the race for the third time in 2020, and he had an even better season with seven more wins.
The only driver with more wins than Hamlin and no championships is Junior Johnson, who never actually ran a full season. Hamlin has 44 wins to his name; Johnson had 50.
Among drivers who have completed at least one full season, Hamlin is the winningest driver without a title. Second place on that list is Mark Martin with 40, and he is a Hall of Famer, as are several others.