Is this the year Denny Hamlin finally breaks through and wins his first NASCAR Cup Series champion? Probably best not to ask him that because he’s definitely tired of hearing it.
In fact, the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver even made a joke about it at NASCAR playoffs media day Wednesday.
Hamlin has been racing full-time at NASCAR’s highest level for 19 seasons and has an impressive three Daytona 500 checkered flags on his resume. His 54 career wins have him in a two-way tie for 12th-most in NASCAR history, and he has three wins so far this season at Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway and Dover Motor Speedway.
He’s one of the best, most versatile and decorated NASCAR drivers of all time, but he’s never been a Cup Series champion. He’s also well aware of that, and in case he forgets, NASCAR reporters often like to ask if this is his year ahead of the playoffs.
In 2019, For The Win even wrote an in-depth feature about Hamlin’s standout season, headlined: “Denny Hamlin is the best active NASCAR driver without a title. Is this his year?” (It was not.)
Mocking himself and everyone else, Hamlin had the perfect joke about 2024 being his year. He had a sign taped to his back at playoff media day with a simple message:
“Please don’t ask him if it’s his year.
It’s always ‘his year’
Playoff media day mood pic.twitter.com/KH5COmfB9I
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) September 4, 2024
Maybe this is finally the year for Hamlin. Maybe he still has to wait and keep racing to be a NASCAR champion. Maybe he ultimately ends his illustrious career as the most decorated driver to never win a title. Maybe he’s at peace with it all regardless.
But at least he’s making very good jokes about it.
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Quaker State 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network). Hamlin enters ranked sixth in the standings and 10 points ahead of the cutoff when four of the 16 drivers will be eliminated after the first three playoff races.
