Two decades into his NASCAR career, Denny Hamlin still chasing an elusive championship

Regardless of whether or not Denny Hamlin wins a NASCAR Cup Series championship, he will one day be enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame as one of NASCAR's all-time greats. 

Hamlin himself has said that he is content with not winning a Cup Series title. And as a 59-time Cup Series winner and a three-time Daytona 500 winner, it's easy to believe him. But it's hard to believe that no part of Hamlin wants to win a Cup Series championship and add his name to the list of drivers that have done so. 

Following Sunday's race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, Hamlin is one of only eight drivers still competing for the Cup Series title. He's also leading the Cup Series playoff standings going into the opening race of the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

With his 45th birthday a little more than a month away, Hamlin is arguably driving better than ever. His five victories this season are tied with Shane van Gisbergen for the most in the Cup Series. His 804 laps led are fourth in the series and he's tied for the series lead in top-five finishes. 

2025 hasn't necessarily been Hamlin's most consistent campaign, but the No. 11 is fast on a weekly basis. That's about all a driver can ask for in an era of the sport that rewards winning races in big moments. 

Hamlin's ability to win on any given weekend is exactly what makes him so dangerous. His experience is also invaluable, especially in a penultimate round of the playoffs that features three challenging tracks in Las Vegas, Talladega and Martinsville. 

Hamlin has 27 starts at LVMS, including a playoff win in 2021 and 14 top-10 finishes. In seven Next-Gen starts at the 1.5-mile track, he has five finishes of 11th or better. 

Talladega is where the championship hopes of Hamlin - and his seven Round of 8 contemporaries — may become more complicated. Hamlin has historically been good at Talladega and a great superspeedway racer in general, but the Next-Gen era has given the veteran driver a mixed bag at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. 

Hamlin has finishes of 10th, third and fifth at Talladega in seven Next-Gen races, but those have been complimented by results of 21st, 37th, 17th and 18th. 

The good news for Hamlin? Even if Las Vegas and Talladega bear little fruit, Martinsville closes the Round of 8. Hamlin won at Martinsville at March 30, and it's not at all a stretch to call the half-mile venue his best track. Hamlin has 21 top-five finishes and 27 top-10 efforts in 39 Martinsville starts. That includes six victories and 2,722 laps led. 

Not even a brand new Next-Gen car could disrupt Hamlin's success at the 'Paperclip.' Hamlin has six consecutive finishes of 11th or better at Martinsville, and he's led 735 laps at the track in the Next-Gen era. 

It's been tough for anyone to unseat Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske at Martinsville in recent years, but Hamlin did so in March. A win at Martinsville would ensure him a Championship 4 berth for the first time since 2021. 

To make a long story short, Hamlin's career has been filled with championship heartbreak. But maybe, just maybe, this is the year that Lady Luck finally smiles on Hamlin and gives him the opportunity to fill the only blank space remaining on his racing resume.