Denny Hamlin details number of drivers with a shot to win Cup Series championship

Denny Hamlin believes there’s a set number of drivers who have an actual shot to win a NASCAR Cup Series title.

As the Cup Series season prepares to get underway once again with the Busch Clash this weekend and the Daytona 500 to follow on Feb. 18, Hamlin brought back his Actions Detrimental podcast earlier this week. On it, he was asked how many drivers have a realistic chance at a title, and the veteran wheelman gave his answer.

“I get asked this question a lot, I’ve always said there’s nine. I thought that there was nine drivers that were capable of winning a championship,” Hamlin revealed. “Now, since I’ve said that nine, I think a few more have emerged as contenders. There’s a difference in a contender, and there’s a difference in one that can go all the way.

“[Ryan] Blaney, even before this year, he was always on that list of nine, that he can go all the way, with a good enough team and the resources, he’s definitely a talented enough driver, he’s always been on the list. I probably, since then, you probably add [Ross] Chastain, from the historical list. Now, we lost [Kevin] Harvick, so one drops.”

So around nine or ten drivers, in Hamlin’s mind, are his competitors as he seeks his first NASCAR Cup Series title. In addition to naming his number, Hamlin focused in on a myriad of drivers on the bubble, including RFK Racing’s duo of Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski.

“I see that as a very popular, pre race, out on the limb, Championship 4 — Buescher makes the Championship 4. I think I need to see, did he get to the Round of 8? He did. He just wasn’t spectacular. He won three in a row right? I can see that as a good dark horse,” Hamlin added. “Buescher, I’ve sang his praises for a very long time. On super-speedways, I think he’s one of the best. Just quietly one of the best. I don’t know the, versus Brad, I think he probably has the upper-hand. Who beats who on a weekly basis, they’re always together. He’s always just a spot or two.

“Sure, if you think Brad is a championship threat, how could you not consider Buescher? I’m talking myself into it right now.”

Continuing, another interesting name for Hamlin’s list is his own driver in 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, as the team owner believes the wheelman is ready to make a jump this season.

“I think he is. When I look at last year, there’s a few guys that I think will absolutely take a jump from last year,” Hamlin stated. “Reddick, you know came up, I think the short tracks — he knows he’s got to improve on the short tracks. That’s a big part of getting to the Championship 4. The struggles kind of went beyond just Martinsville. Even at Phoenix, it was just not really there.

“So I think he knows where he’s got to work. So I think absolutely the guy can make it to the final four. Certainly the talent is there. … I think if I had to write them down, there would be ten.”

Alas, time will tell if Denny Hamlin can capture his first NASCAR Cup Series title in 2024, but it seems as if he knows who he needs to beat when the season starts later this month.