Logging his fourth victory of the 2025 season at Dover, Denny Hamlin proved his worth as Joe Gibbs Racing’s winningest driver to date. The veteran racer’s latest win came at a track that is renowned to be dominated by track position and how well drivers can defend from their rivals, especially using the Next Gen car’s controversial aerodynamics and ‘dirty air’.
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Former Cup Series racer-turned-analyst, Kyle Petty, deemed the No. 11 Toyota driver’s performance as worthy of a Hall of Fame career, one that Hamlin undoubtedly possesses.
Hamlin was seen taking control of the race not once, but on three separate restarts late into the event, holding off challenges from his teammates such as Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, but also managing to keep other drivers such as Kyle Larson at bay.
“That was a Hall of Fame performance. We go back to the last 25 or 30 laps of the race. He drove a great segment of the race right there. Wherever Christopher (Bell) went, Hamlin was already there. Throwing dirty air, making something happen,” elaborated Petty.
The subsequent restart saw Bell spin out from underneath the No. 11 Toyota, hence relegating him out of contention to win. The next contender that came close to challenging Hamlin was Larson, who could not mount a charge on the No. 11 courtesy of a great push he received from his teammate Briscoe during the restart after Bell spun out.
The final restart of the day saw Briscoe battle it out with Hamlin for the win as the field ran into overtime. The No. 19 Toyota driver was seen being considerate towards his teammate as the duo took to the track, with Hamlin ultimately managing to hold on despite Briscoe’s fresher tires.
“Denny Hamlin wins with a lesser car, with old tires. And he wins his 58th race… He’s chasing 60. He is chasing history, and we’re seeing a little bit different Denny Hamlin right now,” Petty summed up.
Petty even went as far as to say that a replay of Hamlin’s efforts from Dover this past weekend should be played when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, which is a matter of when and not if.
Heading into one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events next weekend, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, how well can Hamlin carry his regular season momentum as the playoffs approach? Then there is that one question on everyone’s lips: Is this finally Denny’s year?
