Three wins through the first 11 races of the season. Denny Hamlin matched Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron for the most victories so far this year.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver held off Kyle Larson in the closing laps of Sunday’s Wurth 400 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway to bank his 54th career victory in the Cup Series. Hamlin now has as many victories this year as he totaled through the entirety of last season.
To double down, he eclipsed his win total in both 2021 and 2022, where he bagged two victories apiece.
The last time Hamlin won three of the first 11 races of the season was in 2010 — where he narrowly missed out on the championship in the final race of the year to Jimmie Johnson.
It’s become a recurring theme within the NASCAR Cup Series garage, however, the question looms — Is it finally Hamlin’s year to breakthrough?
Perhaps it is, as Hamlin believes his dynamic with crew chief Chris Gabehart is firing on all cylinders.
“Well, I think me and Chris just keep getting better,” Hamlin said. “He continues to challenge me and push me to get better. He holds me accountable. I hold him accountable. We’re (in) year five now of working together and we just keep getting better.
“We’re starting to understand each other a little more. We kind of know where our deficits are and where we need to work to win more races,” Hamlin continued.
“If you would have asked me six, seven years ago winning at Dover, I would have said you’re crazy. It was by far my worst track. I just hated coming here each and every time.
“He led me in a direction to get better. Really paid off over those last five years.”
With his 54th career win, Hamlin is now tied with Lee Petty for 12th on the all-time wins list. He’s one victory away from tying Rusty Wallace as well. Even as Hamlin embarks on his 19th full-time season in the Cup Series, his stout résumé still hasn’t sunk in.
“It doesn’t seem right,” Hamlin said. “If you put all the names on the list in the orders of the wins that they have, I don’t know, I see my name as just an outlier, one that sticks out like it doesn’t really belong there.
“I’ve been doing it a long time. You take for granted all the wins that you’ve had. All we think about is the ones that we didn’t win. I’m like, ‘Man, I feel like I should have 80 or 90 realistically.’ But everyone has those stories.”
While he keeps focusing forward in the season at hand, Hamlin does have a goal for himself before his career is over.
“It’s my personal goal, in my career I want to get to a number that puts me well inside that top 10 of race winners,” Hamlin said. “I think that will speak for itself and the résumé.”
It’s far too early to start naming championship favorites, however, his hot start to the year is certainly something to keep note of as the season progresses.