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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Makes Bold Claim About Denny Hamlin After Vegas Win

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Mar 18, 2026 11:23 AM ET

With the latest win, Denny Hamlin now has sole possession of 10th on the all-time wins list in the NASCAR Cup Series. 61 wins and he shows no signs of slowing up. Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to be impressed.

The big knock on Denny Hamlin is that he doesn't have a championship. What he lacks in a Bill France Cup, he makes up for in total wins, three Daytona 500s, three Southern 500s, a Coca-Cola 600, four Clash wins, all-time wins leader at Pocono and Kansas, and so much more.

That's why, this week on the "Dale Jr. Download," Dale Jr. proposed this question - will Hamlin one day belong on the NASCAR "Mount Rushmore" or, in other words, the top-four all-time?

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Yahoo! Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

"Denny Hamlin is my pick for the championship this year," Dale Jr. said. He then went further into his thoughts on Hamlin.

"So, Denny gets out of his car, and I've heard him say this before, he gets out of the car, and he says, 'I'm not as good as all those guys. I've got to work harder.' I don't believe he's correct," Dale Jr. said. "I believe he's working hard. I do believe he's as good as some of them guys. I think he's better than quite possibly a Cale Yarborough. Some of those big names that he's looked up to, right?

"Couple more years, you might put him on the Mount Rushmore. I believe talent-wise, he ranks way higher than he wants to admit. There are anomalies in our history of drivers who didn't fall off. A lot of guys tend to fall off around the same time frame, in those early 40s, mid-40s, they're toast, and he's not doing that. He's an anomaly."

There are really only two things that Denny Hamlin has yet to accomplish in NASCAR. He hasn't won a championship, and he hasn't won the Brickyard 400. Everything else is more or less ticked off the list and already in his trophy case.

Take the names away, take the mythology and nostalgia off of the all-time list. Just put wins, records, and stats head-to-head in a blind test...61 wins, three Daytona 500s...that sounds like an all-time great to me, no matter who you put him up against.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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