Denny Hamlin admits he still has one weakness after NASCAR All-Star win

While Sunday's NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway felt far from what the sport's exhibition race for $1 million should be, that did not stop Denny Hamlin from continuing his recent dominance there and claiming his second All-Star win.

Entering the weekend, Hamlin had won two consecutive points-paying races at the "Monster Mile", and he quickly asserted himself as the favorite after winning the pole. Not only did that extend his recent dominance dating back to the end of 2025, but Hamlin continues to defy the odds the closer he gets to retirement.

While Hamlin is still in search of that elusive championship after several near misses over the years, there is not much left standing in his way and there is no longer any excuse for him not to win the title this year.

However, there is one area in which Hamlin has said he needs to improve if it is finally going to be time for him to hoist the Bill France Cup. Road courses are still not his strong suit, but with zero road/street circuits in this season's revamped 10-race "Chase" postseason, there is another area that has become the focal point.

Denny Hamlin wants to get better on restarts

"No weaknesses other than my restarts. I've got to work on that. That's something I've got to get better because these races definitely come down to shootouts at times," Hamlin said during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "So getting better on the short run, continuing to get better on the road courses. I felt like I had a solid [Circuit of the Americas], a solid Watkins Glen. We're putting it all together right now, and so certainly we're happy about where things are at."

Hamlin only has the one points-paying win this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, largely due to the early dominance that his 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick showed by winning five of the first nine races.

Aside from that win, Hamlin also has four other top five finishes and has led at least 100 laps in four races, if you include his 103 from the All-Star Race. Even excluding the All-Star Race, Hamlin leads the Cup Series with 624 laps led through 12 points races and only trails Reddick in the standings. When you take out the road courses and the superspeedways, he has essentially been a threat to win everywhere the series has visited.

While powerhouse organization Hendrick Motorsports continues to struggle as a whole, Hamlin and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team are about as steady as they come, regardless of the challenge. That is not to say that there are not other capable drivers out there who can take him down, which Reddick has showcased five times and Chase Elliott twice. Even first-time winners Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar have emerged as threats.

There is plenty of talent in the Cup Series and a tall task in front of Hamlin again if he is finally going to put an entire season together. Something he has going for him, though, is the fact that the championship is no longer going to come down to a single-race Championship 4 or a late restart because of something that is out of his control.

The point standings are slated to reset when the regular season concludes after the race at Daytona International Speedway in late August, at which point the top 16 drivers will be re-seeded for the final stretch. Races such as Sunday's crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will present plenty of restart opportunities, and if Hamlin can hone his craft and make some gains there, he is only going to be that much more dangerous when a late restart is thrown into the mix.

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