Denny Hamlin Makes Sensational Claim Around His NASCAR Win Count

After Denny Hamlin’s victory at the Phoenix Raceway to push up his total number of Cup Series wins to 61, there has been a flurry of discussions about where his tally will stand when he retires. Going by the way the 45-year-old has been talking about his stats lately, it doesn’t seem like leaving the sport is something he has in mind.

In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin’s win-count discussions took an engaging twist. It all began with a simple question: How many wins would Hamlin now have if the ones he won by luck were taken out and the ones he deserved to win were added?

The veteran driver answered with enthusiasm that he would definitely have more wins than he does now.

“This is not an exaggeration. I’d have 75. I far lost more than I lucked into,” said Hamlin. This number will always be contested, of course, with people citing various instances from the JGR driver’s career.

For instance, in 2011, Hamlin won a race at Michigan by leading only the final eight laps. The race was a test of fuel mileage, and he wasn’t close to winning it. However, a late-race caution allowed him to make a pit stop, and he ended up in Victory Lane by holding off Matt Kenseth. This is one of the many races where he bagged a win with a bit of aid from Lady Luck.

However, as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver pointed out, there were also plenty of instances where he let victory slip through his fingers. The 2025 season finale is the most recent of them all. Hamlin might have been crowned champion had he opted to change only two tires instead of four in the final pit stop.

From Bristol to Indianapolis, Hamlin has faced several such crushing situations. “I have no doubts. I have no doubt we would have far more wins, on the layup wins, that were right there that just got ripped away,” he added.

Hamlin’s Retirement tally, as per him

Veteran Kyle Petty was one of the many who guessed how many wins Hamlin would bag before calling it quits. Considering his age, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is on the verge of retirement.

However, judging from his performance longevity and the point of the curve at which things start to go south, Petty thinks he would not be able to reach 70 wins.

But Hamlin doesn’t think he would get there. He set his goal at 67 when asked the same question.

Next on Hamlin’s radar is the 63-race win mark that the two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch currently holds. That would be 9th in the all-time list. Overtaking Rowdy would be a significant achievement and a strong testament to the incredible run he has put together late in his career.