Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are two of the favorite drivers in contention to become the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion. They fought nail and tooth throughout the regular season in virtually every category of stat. With the playoffs now set to kick start at Atlanta, their battle will continue over the next ten races. The fandom has picked its choice at this crucial juncture and it appears to be behind the Hendrick Motorsports star.
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Larson and Hamlin have spent 1,012 laps within one running position of each other this season. Over 27% of those laps were spent running first and second. The promotion’s social media team put up the question of who will have the edge in the playoffs and stirred up a storm of opinions in its comment box.
One fan who doesn’t expect anything out of the ordinary wrote, “Larson, because Hamlin will do Hamlim things in the playoff.” Not a lot of trust behind the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran. However, Hamlin may be more careful than his usual self considering the self-awareness that this could be one of his last few seasons performing at the highest level.
Over 27% of those laps were spent running first and second.
Which driver will have the edge in the #NASCARPlayoffs? pic.twitter.com/DSwt8ODYU4
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 7, 2024
Another fan voiced, “Larson, are you kidding me? Hamlin, as good as he is, can not get around Phoenix. If he even makes it.” Despite racing at the top level of the game for two decades, Hamlin has conquered Phoenix just twice. He has made the Championship 4 on four occasions and not once won the title. As extreme as it may be, this fan’s take carries significant weight.
Hamlin’s mind is divided between being a driver and being the co-owner of 23XI Racing. And this could prove to be detrimental in his fight against Larson. A fan touched upon this writing, “Kyle, Denny seems too focused on his business stuff less on Kyle’s minds to worry about.” With Tyler Reddick being a strong contender to be the champion, the trickiness of the situation has surely multiplied as well.
A couple of more opinions flew in from followers who aren’t big fans of Hamlin. They wrote, “The dude with a championship Kyle Larson,” and “Hamlin can’t even get his car going in qualifying first round. Larson by 500 miles.” The consensus is that the Hendrick star will get the better of the old dog by the end of the season. Could Hamlin prove the doubters wrong?
The answer will unfold in November. As far as the current state of things goes, Larson has won four races against Hamlin’s three. He has led 1,089 laps against Hamlin’s 917. He has 10 stage wins against Hamlin’s 4. And, he has more top-5s and top-10s as well. A lot of work to do for the Joe Gibbs driver.
