Denny Hamlin has long focused on race wins rather than pursuing the elusive NASCAR Cup Series championship. Under the previous playoff format, outcomes were highly unpredictable, and despite dominating the championship race at Phoenix Raceway last year, a late caution thwarted his title hopes.
The controversy surrounding that finish, alongside Jesse Love clinching the O’Reilly Series championship over ten‑win contender Connor Zilisch, prompted a revision of the playoff structure.
After taking the championship lead from Tyler Reddick at Sonoma Raceway, Hamlin now faces the Chase with a 25‑point swing—either a lead or a deficit—both of which keep his title chances alive.
In his penultimate season, Hamlin appears ready to believe a championship is within reach.
“I certainly feel like the destination of where you want to go is more in your hands,” Hamlin said at a press conference at Chicagoland Speedway. “The sample size is bigger.”
He added, “This thing could come down to a green‑white‑checkered at Homestead. We don’t know. But at least there are other races and restarts that counted just the same, the nine races before that.
“I like it for that reason—I don’t think one freak race or incident or win completely changes the outlook of your championship hopes. I’m very optimistic because, generally, the larger the data set, the better our chances.”
Hamlin currently holds a two‑point lead over Reddick and sits 104 points ahead of Ryan Blaney.
He entered the 2010 season finale with a 15‑point advantage over Jimmie Johnson before a crash ended his run. Hamlin’s previous Final Four appearances came in 2014, 2019, and 2021, the latter also derailed by a late caution and pit stop.