At this point last year, Denny Hamlin was already out of the playoffs. He went into Kansas still searching for his first win of the year. A win he would not get, making it the first time in his career he did not win a race in a season. This year he heads to Kansas this weekend with a 56 point cushion above the cut line. With four wins this year, Hamlin is set to return to the round of 8 for the first time since 2017.
Disappointing 2018
Denny Hamlin had one of his worst seasons in 2018. An exit from the playoffs in the round of 16 was the earliest he was eliminated in the playoff format. A season where he did not win a race was what stood out the most for Hamlin and everyone watching. He had gone every year, including his rookie season in 2006, with at least one win. His two best chances to win were at Indianapolis where he was passed by Brad Keselowski, who had fresher tires, with two to go. The other race being the fall Martinsville race where he was up front for the whole race and finished second to Joey Logano.
With Hamlin only accumulating 10 top 5s and 17 top 10s, talks were that Hamlin’s time at Joe Gibbs Racing could be coming to an end. Rising star Christopher Bell was winning a lot in the Xfinity Series and people started to believe that Hamlin was in danger of losing his ride to Bell.
Changes Made in the Off-season
During the off-season, Joe Gibbs Racing made the decision to send crew chief Mike Wheeler to the affiliate 95 team at Leavine Family Racing. In response, they replaced Wheeler with Xfinity Series crew chief Chris Gabehart. Gabehart was the crew chief for Brandon Jones in the Xfinity Series in 2018.
Along with that change, FedEx and Hamlin unveiled a new look to the 11 car. This was a change after the primary purple and orange car was there for 2017 and 2018.
The biggest event in the off-season for Hamlin was the passing of J.D. Gibbs. He was important to Hamlin. J.D. was the person to recognize Hamlin’s talents and he got him the ride at Joe Gibbs Racing. Without J.D., Hamlin probably would not be with Joe Gibbs Racing today.
2019 Resurgence
Coming into 2019, Hamlin had a lot to prove if he wanted to prove he was a championship. He wasted no time proving he still had it by winning an emotional Daytona 500. This was the first race since the passing of J.D. Gibbs and his driver Denny Hamlin won in a 1-2-3 finish for JGR. The second Daytona 500 victory for Hamlin was a sign of things to come.
Six weeks later, Hamlin went to Texas and won his second race of the year. He would follow those wins up with wins at Pocono and the Bristol night race.
Hamlin currently has 16 top 5s which is the most in his career and 20 top 10s. He sits atop the points going into Kansas and barring any catastrophic circumstances, Hamlin will return to the round of 8 and be in contention to earn his first cup championship.
Hamlin has Quieted the Doubters
Denny Hamlin has proven he still has what it takes to win and compete at a high level in the cup series. Hamlin has made last year look like a fluke and he is one of the favorites this year to win the championship. All talks of Christopher Bell going to the 11 have been put to rest as Hamlin chases his first championship.
