Denny Hamlin singled out Kyle Larson are his toughest competitor for the NASCAR Cup Series title moving forward.
Throughout the season, the two superstar drivers have been conjoined at the hip, embroiled in racing incidents at multiple tracks in 2023. It’d only be fitting if it came down to Hamlin and Larson in the end.
Following his win at Bristol during his latest edition of Hamlin’s Actions Detrimental podcast, the Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman elaborated on his thoughts regarding Larson’s championship caliber driving.
“I look at kind of how this first round has played out, and certainly the No. 5 car in Kyle has been super strong, every single week. They were a top two car at Darlington. Certainly a top two car I think, at Kansas. And then this weekend, they were super strong, as well. They were really fast in practice, and I think they were probably just a little bit too loose there in qualifying. He got sideways a bunch. So they’re going to be tough to beat, no doubt about it,” explained Hamlin. “I got asked in the media center quite a bit, what about the challenge, or what do you have to do to beat the No. 5 car? I’m like, ‘I don’t have to beat the No. 5 car right now.’ If we get to Phoenix together, then certainly he will be a competitor I will have to beat, but I feel as though you always have to concentrate on yourself, and what can you do to be at your best, and I feel like when my team’s at my best, and their team’s at their best, it’s like, yeah, we’re close. It’s very, very close. … You never know what can happen, and you can’t get too far ahead of yourself, because there’s six races to go, to even put yourself in a position to win a championship.
“So who knows what happens this next round. But it’s shaping up for — you’re seeing some of the cream rising to the top, when Kyle Larson, this time of the year, he’s on it. He’s up front.”
While Denny Hamlin relented other drivers will be in the mix, like Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron, he believes it’ll ultimately be a battle between himself and Kyle Larson. There’s a long time to go until we get to Phoenix, but that would be far from shocking, seeing the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title come down to them two.
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