By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Welcome back, Denny Hamlin.
On Sunday afternoon, in decisive fashion, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota returned to Victory Lane after a 31-race dry spell—not to mention a 10-year drought at Martinsville Speedway.
By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – It didn’t take Denny Hamlin long to find the recipe for success in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
Hamlin grabbed the lead on Lap126 of 400 in the seventh NASCAR Cup Series race of the season and never looked back.
Denny Hamlin will pilot No. 11 Progressive Insurance Toyota in 18 races this season
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (March 18, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing announced today that the organization has signed an agreement with Progressive Insurance to sponsor Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE in 18 NASCAR Cup Series races this season beginning with Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Progressive’s name and branding will be prominently displayed on Hamlin’s No. 11 car and fire suit, and his crew will also be sporting Progressive branded gear. (more…)
By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Christopher Bell prevailed in a dramatic side-by-side finish with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin — the second-closest finish in Phoenix Raceway history — to earn Bell his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory this season, a record in the sport’s Next Gen Car era.
Bell’s No. 20 JGR Toyota went high alongside Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota as the two cars dueled it out in the final two corners of a two-lap shootout on the one-mile speedway. The 30-year-old Oklahoman claimed the historic win by a mere .049 seconds, marking his second straight victory in this spring race at Phoenix. (more…)
Reported by Ken Willis of the Daytona Beach News-Journal….
It’s an early 2025 win for Denny Hamlin, Michael Jordan and the rest of the folks at 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
Will they pass through tech (an appeal, in this case) and keep the win? (more…)
Bristol Notes: Denny Hamlin is a four-time NASCAR Cup Series winner at Bristol Motor Speedway, including the past two trips to the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. Overall, Hamlin owns 11 top-five finishes, 18 top-10s, four pole awards, and 1,199 laps led at Bristol. He has earned four consecutive top-10 finishes at the track dating back to 2021. In the past two Bristol races, Hamlin has led a combined 305 of 1,000 laps.
Bristol Qualifying: Hamlin leads all active drivers with four pole awards at Bristol. He has started inside the top 10 in nine consecutive Bristol races going back to March 2019. Hamlin has qualified fourth or better in three races at Bristol with the Next Gen racecar.
HAMLIN AT ATLANTA: Denny Hamlin owns one win in 28 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Overall, he has posted six top-five finishes, 10 top-10s, and 452 laps led at the 1.54-mile track. Hamlin has led in six of the past seven Atlanta races, including 15 laps when the series visited in February. Earlier this year, Hamlin finished 23rd at Atlanta after being collected in multiple accidents during the 400-mile race.
REGULAR SEASON RECAP: During the 26-race regular season, Hamlin scored three wins, nine top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, three pole awards, and 917 laps led. According to Loop Data provided by NASCAR, Hamlin leads the series in green flag speed, fastest on restarts, fastest drivers late in a run, and laps in the top 15. He also ranks second in laps led, average running position, driver rating and laps run on the lead lap. (more…)
HAMLIN AT DARLINGTON: Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with four wins, 13 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s and 979 laps led at Darlington Raceway. His 8.8-average starting position and 8.3-average finishing position are also best among active drivers. Last September, Hamlin led 177 laps and won both stages before an unscheduled pit stop dropped him to a 25th-place finish in the Southern 500. Earlier this year, Hamlin started seventh and finished fourth at the 1.366-mile oval. He has led in nine consecutive Darlington races dating back to May 2020. Hamlin’s Darlington resume also includes six NASCAR Xfinity Series wins.
FLYING 11: The No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry XSE will feature the Flying 11 this weekend to pay homage to the late Roy Hendrick. Hendrick, who passed away earlier this month, was a weekly competitor at Hamlin’s home track, Southside Speedway. The No. 11 Sport Clips team previously honored the Hendrick family, including Roy’s father, Ray Hendrick, by carrying the Flying 11 colors to victory lane in the 2017 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. (more…)
Denny Hamlin is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner at Michigan International Speedway after posting wins in 2010 and 2011. In 33 career starts at the two-mile track, Hamlin has earned 12 top-five finishes, 18 top-10s, one pole award, and 263 laps led. The Virginia native has led in eight consecutive Michigan races dating back to August 2018. He has finished sixth or better in the past six Michigan races. (more…)
The fact that Denny Hamlin has three wins on the season and yet is ranked in 4th place in driver points goes to show you just how poorly he has been performing when he isn’t winning.
