Even if the finishes might suggest otherwise, the first round of the playoffs provided some of the best performances by the #11 team of Denny Hamlin. Many, including Hamlin, feel this could be the year for Hamlin to finally win the championship if he continues with his performances in a consistent pattern.
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However, this would not be the first time that Hamlin has been this good in the playoffs, with misfortune and bad luck striking him at the worst time possible and making him lose out on several opportunities for the title in the past.
Recently, while speaking about Hamlin and his performance in the first three races of the postseason, NASCAR insider Parker Kligerman shared his thoughts on him and also mentioned how he fares up against his closest competitor at this point, Kyle Larson.
Parker Kligerman thinks Denny Hamlin was the best first-round playoff driver
Kligerman mentioned, “Well, I gotta get something off my chest because I’ve said it for the last five years. I said it at the beginning of the year I even texted him this. I’ve said forever it’s Denny Hamlin’s year until it isn’t.”
“So what I mean by that is every year is Denny Hamlin’s year because he is consistently one of the top five best drivers in this series. He has a team that would put up against anyone in this series, led by Chris Gabehart, I think is one of the most intelligent crew chiefs there is in this sport.”
The Xfinity Series driver believes that Hamlin has a good chance of winning the championship due to several factors, including his team’s ability to perform well and dominate races when they find their groove.
Kligerman also cites the example of the team’s performance at Kansas, where they steadily improved and were in a position to win the race without a late caution.
“So, I just think this race team is a very impressive race team. Denny Hamlin has very few weaknesses in some of that he’s had he went to work on you talked about road courses, what he’s done to get better at those places. So, this team, to me is the model of what it takes to be a successful NASCAR Cup Series team and so yes, they are absolutely favorite.”
Kligerman explains how Kyle Larson measures up to Hamlin
Opening up on where his nearest competitor, Kyle Larson, stands, the analyst said, “Now going up against Kyle Larson, I think that is a team that is absolutely at the same level. But you know, it really comes down to finding the places that Larson and that team can limit the mistakes right?”
“I think if you look at these two teams, speed-wise Larson is going to be right up there with them.” He further noted that the #5 team has had some moments where they have performed below their potential, similar to Denny Hamlin’s past speeding penalties.
However, Kligerman also mentioned that the #5 team is generally on par with Hamlin’s team, and it will be up to both teams to perform at their best and avoid mistakes in order to beat each other.
