{"id":128050,"date":"2025-09-08T04:57:38","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T04:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/128050\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T04:57:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T04:57:38","slug":"the-countdown-is-on-for-denny-hamlin-in-more-ways-than-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/128050\/","title":{"rendered":"The countdown is on for Denny Hamlin in more ways than one"},"content":{"rendered":"

The countdown has begun<\/p>\n

You never say never, but Denny Hamlin<\/a> seems to know exactly when he is going to retire, which makes seasons like this and victories like Sunday at Gateway all the more rewarding.<\/p>\n

Hamlin will turn 45 the week after this season ends, and from the looks of it, that will leave just two more seasons after this one to accomplish all the things he wants before moving onto the next chapter of his life.<\/p>\n

Sunday marked the first time that Hamlin publicly spoke about a defined end and he did it response to a question about how he maintains this level of focus at 44.<\/p>\n

His answer?<\/p>\n

\u201cJust knowing that I put a timeline on the end,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cThat to me has been the number one factor. I talked to Harvick the other day. I was just like, \u2018I knew exactly how many races were left.\u2019 The countdown has begun.\u201d<\/p>\n

To wit, Hamlin says he doesn\u2019t want to race well beyond his peak performance capacity. He is still very much at the top of his game with his fifth victory this season — good for 59 over the past two decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m just not going to leave this sport on my deathbed, you know, just leaking oil, running in the back of the pack,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cI have way too much pride for that. I’m way too cocky for that. There’s just no way. I want to be able to win my last race.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo do that, I’m going to have to retire when I’m racing like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

That means, according to his implied timeline, that there will be two more Daytona 500s remaining, with a chance to win five of them, hypothetically. Two more chances to win his first Brickyard 400, one that means a lot to him.<\/p>\n

That leaves roughly 70 races to go?<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d he said. \u201cThat’s correct.\u201d<\/p>\n

So it stands to reason that elusive championship, one that you have to consider him a favorite for now, after adding five more playoff points, is on that list, right?<\/p>\n

Right?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s certain races that I do have countdowns for (but) championships isn’t one of ’em,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cObviously, it’s well-documented that I want to get the wins, and I feel like that will carry its weight long after. When you compare me to someone that’s maybe got one or two, maybe three championships, and half the wins, I don’t think that person’s better than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what if he does win the championship and stands at Phoenix at the very top of his game and pinnacle of accomplishments, would one of the most quotable drivers of NASCAR history consider that a walk-off, mic drop moment?<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, absolutely. Sounds like a good way to end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Final Four Focused
\n \"Denny <\/p>\n

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sean Gardner \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

The victory was additive for Hamlin beyond merely advancing into the Round of 12. A second-place finish would have produced the same outcome.<\/p>\n

Hamlin is hyper-focused on what will happen in the Round of 8 and doing whatever it takes to return to the final four for the first time since 2021. It\u2019s a round that has frequently eliminated him, usually by mere points, including his ouster at the hands of Ross Chastain<\/a> ripping the fence, literally, at Martinsville in 2022.<\/p>\n

This win gives him five more points at the start of the next round and the round after that. With each stage win and win he gets over the next four races, they all add to his start total in that third round that determines the final four.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re going to need ’em,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cWe’re going to need ’em. I don’t think I’ve ever had a stress-free third round. It’s all been close on points. There’s been opportunities where 2019 Phoenix where I had to win there to make it to Homestead to have a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve never cruised through that third round. It doesn’t matter which racetrack it’s been, it always gets tight there. Now that you got a superspeedway in it, who knows.\u201d<\/p>\n

To his point, having Talladega in the Round of 8 makes having bonus points all the more important.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember last year, I was minus 50, something like that,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cI’m cruising around on the other side of the track. I’ve lost the draft. That’s when the entire field crashed and it just went from, Oh, my God, I’m out, to, Oh, now I’m sitting pretty.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt changes that quick. You just never know. With Talladega being in the second-to-last round, I just don’t know how many points you would have to have to feel comfortable going into that round. It’s certainly more than 34.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bubba <\/p>\n

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sean Gardner \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Sitting pretty<\/p>\n

Hamlin was not the only person to join Chase Briscoe<\/a> as locked-in on Sunday as Kyle Larson<\/a> crossed the 52-point threshold and will advance purely as a result of taking the green flag in the Bristol Night Race.<\/p>\n

His incident with Ryan Blaney<\/a> notwithstanding, Larson ran up front all day, scored a generous amount of points for what looked like a return to form for the first time in months for the Hendrick No. 5 team.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur car was great and I\u2019m happy with that and happy with the improvement and it was a solid weekend, all around,\u201d Larson said. \u201cWe took a massive step in the right direction. I would love to get to Phoenix to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of this team. It\u2019s been a struggle here and on this type of track but it\u2019s been a struggle all summer at a lot of places lately.\u201d<\/p>\n

He ultimately had to settle for a 12th-place due to some damage incurred running third on a restart but that was inconsequential in the big picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the finish we were looking for but we looked like the 5 team for the first time in awhile today,\u201d Larson said.<\/p>\n

Even though Chase Briscoe locked-in with his Southern 500, he also added a playoff point in winning the first stage on Sunday, which means over the course of two races, he\u2019s added six points to his starting point in the Round of 12.<\/p>\n

Updated Playoff Grid<\/p>\n

Denny Hamlin Adv
Chase Briscoe Adv
Kyle Larson +60
Bubba Wallace<\/a> +50
Ryan Blaney +42
William Byron<\/a> +39
Tyler Reddick<\/a> +37
Christopher Bell<\/a> +32
Chase Elliott<\/a> +28
Joey Logano<\/a> +21
Ross Chastain +19
Austin Cindric<\/a> +11
—
Austin Dillon<\/a> -11
Shane Van Gisbergen<\/a> -15
Alex Bowman<\/a> -35
Josh Berry<\/a> -45<\/p>\n

Below the cut<\/p>\n

Purely from a playoff perspective, it was largely a repeat of Darlington in that a handful of themes carried over into Gateway on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Everything that can go wrong for Alex Bowman, is
Shane Van Gisbergen just isn\u2019t quite a finished product yet on ovals
Josh Berry was bit again by an early issue
Despite their best efforts to mitigate it, Austin Dillon just doesn\u2019t have enough <\/p>\n

As a result, these are the four below the cutline with Bowman and Berry more or less facing must-win odds.<\/p>\n

In the case of Berry, it was an incident with Chase Elliott, where his No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford Mustang got sent into the wall sandwiched alongside Joey Logano.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, a little chaos there after the restart,\u201d Berry said. \u201cI was behind (Zane Smith<\/a>) and Joey and had to give a little space. Chase was able to get in there and it looked like he got a little bit loose and slid up into us.<\/p>\n

\u201cObvious, it\u2019s unfortunate but I don\u2019t think \u2026 it\u2019s one of those things that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 45 points back, winning is practically the only way into the Round of 8.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no choice,\u201d Berry said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a rough couple of weeks but out guys are working really hard and we just have to do the best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Alex Bowman simply had no speed all race, and when given a strategy that would have given him a chance to race for a top-10\u2019s worth of points, he was caught speeding at the end of pit road.<\/p>\n

He finished 26th.<\/p>\n

Bowman said as far as he was concerned, he didn\u2019t speed, because he didn\u2019t trigger his speeding lights on his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just really poor execution on all angles today,\u201d Bowman said. \u201cIt was a bummer. I thought our No. 48 Ally Chevrolet was okay once we were kind of towards the front-half. We just struggled in the back. Super frustrating, but all we can do is keep digging.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people working really hard to continue to be better. I thought, race car-wise, we were heading in the right direction once we had some air on it. We just have to go to Bristol and go to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018SVG\u2019 spent much of the day taking alternative strategies to try to score stage points. He largely held his own at the end of both stages, even though he didn\u2019t score any points. Then he got aggressive on a Lap 157 restart and went around outside of the rubber.<\/p>\n

It was a day of directional progress but that\u2019s just not enough to move into the next round.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were too tight in traffic, and then eventually got on the other side of it and I made an error and spun,\u201d Van Gisbergen said. \u201cWe just couldn\u2019t get it back. We weren\u2019t amazing. We were probably a 15th-place car, but then detuned it a little bit and ended up where we did.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle frustrating, but it\u2019s kind of where we\u2019re at. 20th and 15th is a huge improvement for us, but obviously in the playoffs, you expect more. There\u2019s that pressure there.\u201d<\/p>\n

200 for Toyota
\n \"Denny <\/p>\n

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota<\/p>\n

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images<\/p>\n

There were a couple of OEM replated accolades in the achievement for Hamlin too.<\/p>\n

The win was the 200th in the Cup Series for Toyota Racing Development, and the culmination of so many relationships for Toyota group vice president and TRD vice president and general manager Tyler Gibbs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a testament to what’s gone in over, what is it, the last 19 years,\u201d Gibbs said. \u201cThe team we have at TRD, the team we have at TMNA, the team we have on the track. When you look at JGR, 23XI, Furniture Row, Red Bull and Michael Waltrip<\/a> Racing combining for over 200 wins is just incredible for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was win No. 56 for Hamlin in a Toyota, which ties Kyle Busch<\/a> for the most all-time for the manufacturer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it does,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cThe next few wins, knock on wood, if I can get some, are going to be very special for me. This is the next step to getting that done.\u201d<\/p>\n

This also means that all but three of Hamlin\u2019s wins at the highest level have come with Toyota. Hamlin was unsure about the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota at the time but since then, they have been a top-tier program, and Hamlin has since launched his own team, 23XI, with the manufacturer as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it’s super special because they’ve been such a big partner of Joe Gibbs Racing<\/a> for such a long time,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cCertainly I was worried when we switched over, gosh, felt like about 16, 17 years ago, somewhere in that range, from Chevy to Toyota.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously it was a big leap of faith by everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. The drivers were kind of like an innocent bystander in it, right? We were going to live and die by those situations that JGR made on that day. It turned out to be the best partnership that they could imagine, being the top team.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that I’ve got 23XI, I formed a different relationship with them. So yeah, I’ve got Toyota running through my blood both top and bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photos from Gateway – Race<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Denny<\/p>\n


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\n Gateway – Sunday, in photos
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\"Bubba<\/p>\n


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\"Ryan<\/p>\n


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\"Shane<\/p>\n


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\"Ty<\/p>\n


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\"Denny<\/p>\n


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\"General<\/p>\n


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\"General<\/p>\n


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\"General<\/p>\n


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\"Bubba<\/p>\n


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\"Christopher<\/p>\n


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\"Chase<\/p>\n


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\"Denny<\/p>\n


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\"Denny<\/p>\n


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\"Denny<\/p>\n


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\"Denny<\/p>\n


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Read Also:<\/p>\n

In this article<\/p>\n

Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics<\/p>\n

Subscribe to news alerts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The countdown has begun You never say never, but Denny Hamlin seems to know exactly when he is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":128051,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,3932,66871,67924,12101,634,3628,82,70273],"class_list":["post-128050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-denny-hamlin","tag-gateway","tag-gateway-motorsports-park","tag-joe-gibbs-racing","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-cup","tag-sports","tag-the-countdown-is-on-for-denny-hamlin-in-more-ways-than-one"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}