Nearly every outlet had ruled out the possibility of Denny Hamlin being a contender for the championship in the 2024 Cup Series season. His age was cited as the biggest reason for his slide. But the 44-year-old has been riding high in his No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE this year, winning races like he’s 30 again.
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The veteran secured the 57th win of his career at Michigan on Sunday and is now 11th on the all-time wins list. It was the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s third win of the season. After the race, while reflecting on his victory tally, Hamlin spoke of how Joey Logano or Kyle Larson could overtake him in the future.
Hamlin was acknowledging that younger drivers have enough time to catch up and pass him. But many, including Kyle Petty, argue that the JGR driver is just being humble. They believe that Hamlin’s win count will exceed 60 by the time he retires.
He would then be inside the top 10 for all-time winners. This is no ordinary feat. And matching Hamlin’s mark would surely require exceptional longevity from Logano, Larson, or anyone else.
“Joey Logano is 35. He has 37 wins. He has to win the same amount of races in the next nine years [as] he won in the previous nine years. That’s 18 years. 18 years of producing at the highest level. That’s almost impossible,” said Petty.
Meanwhile, Larson, who is 32 years old, has 32 wins so far. He could potentially reach Hamlin’s tally, but it won’t be easy with the increasing parity between manufacturers. So it is going to be a few decades before anyone comes close to being a 60-race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series.
As far as Petty is concerned, Hamlin is the last of that breed. “Denny Hamlin is one of the greatest drivers to ever sit in a Cup car,” he reiterated.
“I don’t care whether he wins a championship. I don’t care what he does for the rest of his career. He’s going to be a Hall of Famer. He’s going to go down in history. And he may be, I say he is the last guy to 60,” added Petty.
Hamlin has now set his sights on reaching the mid-60s in total wins. He wishes to enter and remain one of the top 10 winners in the sport during his lifetime.
People once argued that a Cup Series title was the only thing keeping him from attaining legendary status. But the journey he’s on now will ultimately ensure that he’s remembered as one of NASCAR’s greatest — with or without a championship.
