Denny Hamlin is regarded as one of the best talents in NASCAR with regular title challenges, so here is everything you need to know about him.
The American has spent his entire NASCAR Cup Series career to date with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 11 car, debuting back in 2005.
As of the end of the 2023 season, Hamlin even has the most wins in the Cup Series without winning a championship after registering 51 victories.
Despite missing that elusive first title, the JGR driver has been in the playoffs in every season he has competed in full-time, with the exception of 2013 after he missed a large part of the early season with injury.
Denny Hamlin has the most NASCAR Cup Series wins without a championship
Hamlin began his NASCAR Cup Series in 2005 when he joined Joe Gibbs Racing in the No.11 car and raced the final seven races of the season, making an instant impact with three top-10 finishes and a pole position at Phoenix International Raceway.
The American was given a full-time drive the following year following the release of Jason Leffler and had an incredible first full campaign, grabbing two wins – both at the Pocono Raceway in the Pocono 500 and Pennsylvania 500 – and finished third overall.
Hamlin scored the most points in a rookie season since 1966 and was subsequently given the Rookie of the Year award.
In 2007, Hamlin grabbed the third win of his career at New Hampshire, but could only manage 12th in the standings. In 2008, he also had a near-identical season, but won earlier on in the year at Martinsville and moved up to eighth in the championship.
He achieved the most dominant lead of a driver since 2000 at Richmond by leading 381 out of 410 laps of the Lowry 400.
Hamlin won four races in 2009 to finish fifth overall and in 2010, he had his best season to date, winning eight races and was leading the championship by 33 points over Jimmie Johnson with two races to go.
The JGR driver had led almost the whole race at Phoenix, but had to pit with 14 laps to go as he was short on fuel, leaving him 12th and spun at the final round and handed the title to Johnson, finishing runner-up by 39 points.
Then, 2011 was a disappointing season as only one top-10 finish in the first eight races and one win all year left him ninth. Hamlin returned to form in 2012 with five wins in the season and finished sixth overall.
At Fontana in 2013, Hamlin collided with rival Joey Logano while battling for the win on the white flag lap, sending him head-on into the wall. He collapsed shortly after stepping out of the car and subsequently missed the next four races, which cost him an appearance in the Chase.
Hamlin returned to the Chase in 2014 and made his first appearance in the Championship Four. He was even leading the final race at Homestead and the title fight with 20 laps to go.
But following a caution, his crew chief Darian Grubb opted to keep him on track rather than pitting for fresh tyres and fuel, which ultimately left him finishing seventh and third overall in the standings.
For the next four seasons, Hamlin would not finish in the top five of the standings, with 2018 being his first winless season in the Cup Series, which left him 11th overall.
Hamlin ended a 47-race winless streak with his second win at the Daytona 500 in 2019 and would appear in the Championship Four for the next three consecutive seasons, finishing fourth in 2019 and 2020 and 3rd in 2021.
Ross Chastain denied Hamlin a fourth Championship Four appearance in a row in 2022 by passing him for fourth place at Martinsville. And in 2023, he again failed to reach the Final Four and finished fifth overall.
His third win of the season at Bristol saw him surpass Junior Johnson’s record for the most wins by a driver without a championship.
Denny Hamlin is the fourth person to win the Daytona 500 in back-to-back years
While Hamlin has come painfully close to winning the Cup Series title on a number of occasions, the JGR driver has registered a total of 51 wins as of 2023, three of which came in the Daytona 500.
Hamlin first won the prestigious event back in 2016, after he passed teammate Matt Kenseth on the final lap for the lead. He crossed the line side by side with Martin Truex Jr, but the JGR driver prevailed by 0.011 seconds, making it the closest Daytona 500 win in history and Joe Gibbs’ first at the event since 1993.
His second win at Daytona came in 2019, which marked the end of his 47-race winless run having gone without victory the year before. Hamlin made it back-to-back wins at the event in 2020, winning by 0.014 seconds over Ryan Blaney, the second-closest Daytona victory behind his 2016 win.
With these back-to-back wins, Hamlin is the fourth driver to ever accomplish this feat, along with Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Sterling Marlin.
So, with that in mind, Full Oversteer covers everything you need to know about Hamlin…
How old is Denny Hamlin? Where was he born?
Hamlin is 44 years old and was born in Tampa, Florida, on November 18, 1980.
How tall is Denny Hamlin? What is his height in feet?
Hamlin stands at 6 feet tall, measuring at 183cm.
Denny Hamlin’s net worth
It is estimated that Hamlin has a net worth of $65 million, or £50.6 million.
Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR Cup Series stats
As of the 2024 season, Hamlin has an extensive winning record throughout his career in the Cup Series.
NASCAR titles: 0
NASCAR race entries: 678
NASCAR wins: 54
NASCAR poles: 44
NASCAR top fives: 233
NASCAR top 10s: 352