Denny Hamlin admits he'd be 'desperate' if given shot to win Brickyard 400 on Sunday

The Brickyard 400 is the lone crown jewel race on the NASCAR circuit that Denny Hamlin has not won, and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver admitted Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that he would be aggressive on Sunday if he has a shot to finally win it.

"For me, it'd probably be more desperate," Hamlin said. "I've got a couple shots at this left. I'm certainly willing to take a few more risks here, whether it be on restarts or whatever it might be... if it's strategy, something to give us a shot to win. 

"This is like the Daytona 500. I really don't see this as a race where I count points. I count did you win or did you not? So, for me, I that's the most important thing. Hopefully we have all the pieces in place to do that."

Denny Hamlin won't be counting points at Indy

Hamlin was fifth-fastest in Cup Series practice at IMS on Friday afternoon. He leads Tyler Reddick by 68 points in the Cup Series standings and is in the driver's seat to earn the No. 1 seed in the Chase with five races left in the regular season. 

"There's only so many risks you can take," Hamlin said. "If you're 10 laps short on fuel, that's a stupid risk. You're not going to make it. But if you're a couple [laps short], are you willing to make that risk? My team knows what I want them to do this weekend, and hopefully we execute it."

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.