NASCAR: The unwanted record Denny Hamlin broke at Richmond

With another dominant performance not resulting in a win, Denny Hamlin broke an unwanted NASCAR Cup Series record at Richmond Raceway.

Through the first nine races of the 36-race 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin has been the driver to beat, and the statistics show it.

He has recorded eight top five finishes; no one else has more than four. Despite no top 10 finishes outside of the top five, he leads the series in top 10 finishes as well; his lone non-top 10 result came at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he finished in 11th place after failing to overcome a pit road speeding penalty.

His average finish of 4.22 is 4.11 positions better than second best (Team Penske’s Joey Logano, 8.33). He is the only driver who has completed all 2,594 laps, and he has led a series-high 694 of those laps (26.75%); nobody else has led more than 379 (Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson).

Most notably, his lead in the point standings is massive at 81 points over teammate Martin Truex Jr. (434 to 353), which is significant in the battle for 15 extra playoff points.

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But there is one statistic in which Hamlin’s dominance has not been reflected. There have been eight winners through nine races so far this season, and Hamlin is not among them.

He has led laps during each of the eight races in which he has finished in the top five, and he likely would have led many laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway as well, but he was sent to the rear from the pole position after unapproved adjustments were made to his #11 Toyota.

Most recently, he led 276 of 500 laps at Martinsville Speedway and 207 of 400 laps at Richmond Raceway — more than half of the laps in both — but he finished those races in third and second place, respectively. Truex won the former ahead of Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott in second while Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman won the latter.

As a result, Hamlin has set a new unwanted record.

No driver has ever led more laps than Hamlin has through nine races of a season without securing at least one victory.

David Pearson had held this record from the 1975 season, when he led 595 laps through the first nine races. However, he only competed in six of those nine races.

He ended up securing his first win of the year in what was his eighth start in the season’s 12th race at Dover International Speedway. He had led 622 laps entering this race and led 348 of its 500 en route to taking the checkered flag.

Among drivers who had competed in all nine races to start a season, this record had belonged to Tony Stewart. He led 591 laps through the first nine races of the 2007 season but did not win until the season’s 19th race at Chicagoland Speedway. He had led 658 laps entering this race and led 108 of its 267 en route to taking the checkered flag.

Hamlin is set to start this Sunday’s race, the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, one spot better than where he left off at Richmond Raceway. Through NASCAR’s mathematical starting lineup formula, he took the pole position for this 188-lap race around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked oval in Lincoln, Alabama.

This race is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. Hamlin is the reigning winner at the track and led laps at both of the races there in 2020.