Sean Gardner/Getty Images

NASCAR Insiders Make Opinion On Denny Hamlin Very Clear

Originally posted on The Spun | By Daniel Bates | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 1:16 PM ET

Denny Hamlin might be at this NASCAR thing for a long time but that doesn't mean he can't still go mile-for-mile with some of the sports' young guns.

The 44-year-old JGR driver is right in the thick of NASCAR's points race through five months of the season and already has multiple wins to show for it.

And fresh off of making his 700th start last weekend, insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi believe Denny very much has a shot at winning the 2025 Cup Series title.

"I didn't even realize that this was going to be Denny's 700th start," Gluck admitted on "The Teardown." "... The other media people started asking Denny, 'Oh, No. 700,' I'm like, 'Oh, it is?' I totally missed that somehow. ... But man, the guy still, speaking of showing speed, he's sort of right there. You can just see they're still contenders. I could see them going on a run at some point. Now, it's going to be tough with road courses coming up and stuff, but they're right there."

Even though this past month has been a little rocky for the expecting father, Bianchi went on to say that Hamlin has still been quietly putting together an impressive campaign.

"We kind of forgot a little bit, because they had a really tough stretch in May. But you look at their results, you've got to look deeper," Bianchi added. "They finished P38 at Texas, but he was running, you know, among the leaders and had a fresh car at Texas when he had a mechanical issue. P36 at Kansas, same thing, right? And then Charlotte, they didn't get fuel in the car at the last pit stop, second to last pit stop, and then ended up having to make an extra stop there."

"So, they've had speed, week-in and week-out. They really haven't had a bad race," The Athletic writer explained. "They just haven't had the finish to correspond with that. ... If you're going to make a list of drivers who you feel like are championship contenders, Denny is certainly on that list. Along with Blaney, along with Logano, along with Larson, along with Byron. I would propel him there."

Hamlin currently ranks third in Cup playoff points behind Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson and Joe Gibbs teammate Christopher Bell heading into this afternoon's FireKeepers Casino 400.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: