NASCAR insider Doug Rice recently discussed Denny Hamlin’s slim chances of continuing his championship run after averaging 23rd in his last seven races. Hamlin, however, has easily booked his playoff spot with three wins already this season.
In a recent conversation on PRN’s Fast Talk, Doug Rice, president and co-anchor of the show, said that Hamlin’s impressive run in the first half of the season was falling apart. He said:
“I was kind of on the Denny Hamlin plan, but they fell off … a bunch.” (at 6:34)
“I was on Team Denny for a while, I think I was the guy who won all these races, which was finally the year. “Over the last seven races, he’s averaging 23rd,” Rice added.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Hamlin has 54 Cup Series wins in a career spanning more than two decades, including three victories in the Daytona 500. However, he has yet to win a Cup Series championship. PRN co-host Alan Cavanna thought things “will be fine” once drivers and teams enter the 2024 playoffs. “I mean, I could sell my team here pretty quickly. Let me see what he does now, he might just go out and crush the field in Richmond. It is very good on short tracks. (at 7:37).
NASCAR returns to Richmond Raceway after a two-week hiatus for the 2024 Paris Olympics for the Cook Out 400 on August 11. With just four races remaining before the first round of the playoffs, Rice believes No. 11 Hamlin has had a strong run at Richmond. Showrunners also stated that performances in the four remaining regular races will affect the rest of the season for Cup drivers.
“I need to capitalize now” – Denny Hamlin on an urgency to win the Championship title
Denny Hamlin, a NASCAR veteran, is one of the most successful drivers of the modern NASCAR era. The 43-year-old JGR driver and co-owner of 23XI Racing recently spoke about how his mind has changed over the past two years, as he believes “the clock is ticking”.
In an episode of Detrimental Actions, Hamlin spoke about his mindset and the limited opportunities he has to win the Cup Series championship. He stated:
“In the last two years, I’ve definitely been more selfish on the track than when I started, just because I know that now I’ve set a goal for myself and I know that the sunset clock is going back. So there’s that. urgency”. (at 48:16)
“I think the clock is ticking a little bit and it makes me say, ‘Okay, how long do I have to get there?’ “So I’m going to take advantage now, so I think that’s what changed my mind in my driving in the last few years,” Hamlin added. Hamlin currently sits in 4th place overall in the Cup Series. He is 43 points behind leader and rival Kyle Larson. After 22 starts, the driver of Toyota n. 11 amassed three wins, eight top-5s and nine top-10s.
