Hamlin Chases the Title in the NASCAR Final: Will This Be the Year?
Everything is set for Denny Hamlin to shed the title of “the best NASCAR driver who never won a championship”. In his 20th season, Hamlin achieved the pole position at Phoenix Raceway, in the NASCAR championship final. The title will be contested by Hamlin, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, and Kyle Larson from Hendrick Motorsports. Hamlin will lead the final race of a season in which he achieved six victories, his triumph in Las Vegas last month was the 60th of his career. That victory secured him in the final with three weeks to prepare, both his car and his mentality, and it has kept him relaxed and joking before the most important race of his life.Hamlin has had various attitudes in races for the title, including the one in 2010, when he was serious and silent. “I’ve been treating it like any other week in Phoenix. There’s not much difference, apart from the fact that there are more people, to be honest,” he commented. Has a group of about 30 friends and family sharing three rental houses in the Phoenix area. After Hamlin set a lap of 133.759 mph in his Toyota to get the pole position, a luxury that gives him the first garage option, a selection that could curb his propensity for speeding penalties, the pro-Hamlin crowd must be delighted with their chances. However, it could also be at its best too early in the weekend. “I can’t believe it!” he laughed and slammed the table when asked if things were going too well. He has lost the championship at least six other times, so it’s not far-fetched to think his luck could change on Sunday.I think the benefit was winning in Las Vegas because I was able to get a lot of work done before this week. That way, this week isn’t as busy.
Hamlin
Larson is the only driver in the championship field who has a title, while Byron, two-time reigning Daytona 500 champion, returns to the final for the third consecutive year. Briscoe makes his debut in the title race, and Hamlin, three-time Daytona 500 winner, considered the best NASCAR driver who has never won a championship, returns to the field for the first time since 2021. Byron qualified second with 133.551 and Larson third with 133.437 in their Chevrolets. Briscoe finished 12th, the lowest of the title contenders, with 132.680.You can only help the things you can control. Obviously, we will do our best for 312 laps. I hope it will be enough.
Hamlin
I felt that, to tell the truth, it was a really bad lap that I did. I was a little surprised that it was 12th to some extent.
Briscoe
This is at least the sixth time in Hamlin’s career that he has the opportunity to win the championship, and so far, he hasn’t achieved it. Hamlin spun out in the 2010 final, had a bad pit stop in 2014, overheated because the team put too much tape on the front grill in 2019, and then strategy or lack of speed cost him in 2020 and 2021.
It has become the comprehensive favorite to win on Sunday, and even his competitors have acknowledged that a Hamlin championship would be well-received.Everyone loves a story like that where someone is nearing the end of their career, all that, I can see why people would root for it. Obviously, I want to win. But it would be great to see someone who has dedicated so much time to this sport and has been so close so many times. Sixty wins. I’ll want to beat him up tomorrow, but it won’t kill me if he wins.
Larson
Hamlin comes to the championship race after an offseason crew chief change he opposed. Joe Gibbs Racing was going to lose crew chief Chris Gayle if it didn’t move him, so he was assigned to Hamlin while Chris Gabehart was moved to management. Hamlin didn’t want to lose Gabehart, the crew chief who has gotten the most out of Hamlin in these last years of his career, and openly criticized the decision. But Gayle adapted quickly, has advanced a car to the final for the first time in his career and could now be the team boss who finally leads Hamlin to a title.I think it would be a shame, wouldn’t it?, if when he decides to hang it up, he were the best of all time who has never won, right? I think everyone knows he’s more than capable.
Briscoe
Hamlin’s 60th victory tied him for 10th on the all-time wins list. He had been urgently pursuing the mark because it was his personal consolation prize for not having a Cup title and he wanted to do it before his father, who has a serious health problem, died. Hamlin stated that he wants to win on Sunday because, “I know for sure that this is my last chance for my father to see it. I don’t want him to leave and never get to see the moment.”There are four really good cars, really good teams, really good team bosses. I just want to win the race and be the champion. It’s not necessarily something for me to come and give to Denny. Would it be even sweeter with Denny just because I know what he’s been through and has been close? Yes. I don’t know if that changes anything.
Gayle
