Denny Hamlin made one subtle revelation nobody is talking about

If you watched Denny Hamlin's Enjoy Illinois 300 win at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, in which he led a race-high 75 laps and had a dominant final stint, you'd be forgiven for forgetting he is nearly 45 years old.

Even more so, if you looked at either the NASCAR Cup Series standings or the playoff grid, you'd think this is some 26-year-old in the prime of his career, and while he might still be in his prime just looking at his performance, it's truly impressive that that's even a consideration at this stage.

Hamlin scored the 59th victory of his Cup Series career, moving him within one of tying longtime rival Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time list and giving him the most of any driver this season with five.

The 44-year-old remains as confident as ever, and as he's done three or four times already, NASCAR's current villain figure made sure to antagonize the crowd with another post-victory mic drop.

"Y'all can boo me, but you can either get on the bandwagon, or you can get run over by it... Bring 'em on! Bring 'em on!" he said after the race.

That wasn't the only bombshell quote from Hamlin at Gateway, even if it was the only one making headlines.

As has been alluded to, Hamlin's age places him much closer to the end of his career than the start of it, despite his performance seemingly being better than ever.

Following his post-race antics with the St. Louis crowd on Sunday, Hamlin said he will beg his dad, who hates when his son's cocky side riles up the fans, for forgiveness because "you never know when it's your last", signaling that the end of his career, or at least a steep drop-off in performance with some help from Father Time, is coming.

Hamlin's contract with Joe Gibbs Racing expires at the end of 2027. In the winner's press conference Sunday evening, Hamlin suggested his 70-race countdown "is on", and that his current contract is likely his last.

It's been extremely well-documented that Hamlin, undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer, has never won a championship. In fact, he leads all drivers in the sport's history in wins without a championship, nine more than the late Junior Johnson.

But whether it be a slight coping mechanism, the controversial way championships are awarded with NASCAR's playoff system, or simply a difference in priority, Hamlin has maintained that he is not losing sleep at night not because he hasn't won a championship. Safe to say, he is not considering these final years as his last three chances to get one.

"It's always been about number of races," Hamlin said. "The only one I thought about was this year and the Daytona 500, thinking that I'm probably only going to do this twice more. I haven't won the freaking Brickyard [400]. I'm going to have two more shots at it, and that's it...

"There are certain races that I do have countdowns for. Championships aren't one of 'em... When you compare me to someone who's maybe got one or two, maybe three championships, and half the wins, I don't think that person's better than I am."

Aside from a maiden championship, there's still a lot for Hamlin to achieve.

Hamlin has made it no secret that he simply wants to win races, and he is only a few away from joining some very elite company.

One more victory would make him just the 11th driver to win 60 Cup Series races, and should he win four more, he would tie Kyle Busch for the most by any active full-time driver. Regarding the 60-win club, it's extremely likely he will be the last driver to ever reach that milestone, given the parity of today's competition.

Should Hamlin end this season with the most wins of any driver, he would become the second-oldest driver in Cup Series history to lead all drivers in wins in a single season, trailing only Lee Petty's 11-win 1959 season, which coincidentally resulted in a championship.

Should he do it again next season, he would break Petty's record, ending the year at just under 46 years old. That would be a monumental achievement, considering the current crop of contenders is perhaps the youngest it's ever been.

And once he eventually hangs up his gloves, he's still got a great chance to win several championships as an owner, with his team 23XI Racing, co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan, regularly qualifying for the playoffs, and even making the Championship 4 with Tyler Reddick last season.

However, given Hamlin's success this season, his age, and the fact that he is the only driver to qualify for at least the round of 8 every season since 2019, this year really does seem like it's Hamlin's best, and potentially final, shot at that elusive first championship.

Deep down, he definitely wants to win at least one championship. There's no way he doesn't care about winning the very thing he dreamt of as a kid, and it's the last box to tick on his resume. Heck, he might even retire on the spot if and when he does finally win it!

That's why it's more important than ever to appreciate the greatness you see while you can still see it. You might never see a driver, mid-40's or not, at this level ever again.