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Denny Hamlin has added another accomplishment to his resume midway through the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. He has joined NASCAR’s list of Greatest Drivers.
NASCAR announced the news on April 20 ahead of the trip to Talladega Superspeedway for the Geico 500. A release confirmed that Hamlin is the second active driver to join the list of Greatest Drivers in 2023, following Kyle Larson.
Hamlin has achieved a considerable amount during his time in NASCAR. He has 67 wins across the three national series. Two are in the Truck Series, 17 are in the Xfinity Series, and 48 are in the Cup Series. The wins at the top level, in particular, put Hamlin 16th on the all-time list just behind Tony Stewart at 49 wins.
Along with the wins, Hamlin has contended for championships since moving up to the Cup Series in 2006. He has reached the championship four in four different seasons since NASCAR implemented the elimination playoff format in 2014. He also finished second in the championship standings behind Jimmie Johnson in 2010.
Hamlin Has Captured Several Crown Jewels
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GettyDenny Hamlin celebrates a Southern 500 win.
Securing 48 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series is no small feat. There are multiple champions that sit well short of this goal as of 2023. The list of examples includes such names as Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Bill Elliott, and Dale Jarrett.
Another factor that played a role in Hamlin joining the list of NASCAR’s Greatest Drivers is the prestige associated with some of his wins. He has seven Crown Jewel victories, which is the same amount as Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson.
The most important Crown Jewel wins in Hamlin’s collection are his three Daytona 500s. This is the biggest race in the NASCAR Cup Series, and he has reigned victorious three times since the 2016 season.
Hamlin’s other four Crown Jewel wins have taken place at two different tracks. He has won the Southern 500 three times and the Coca-Cola 600 once. The win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2022, in particular, checked off a career goal for Hamlin.
Hamlin Has Achieved Success in Another Area
GettyDenny Hamlin (right) celebrates a win with Bubba Wallace (left).
Hamlin has achieved a considerable amount as a driver since joining Joe Gibbs Racing. He has celebrated at least one win in 16 of his 18 full-time Cup Series seasons, and he has captured seven Crown Jewels.
Hamlin has also achieved success in his short time as a team owner. He and Michael Jordan have expanded 23XI Racing from one full-time entry to two, and he has celebrated four wins with three different drivers since 2021.
Bubba Wallace delivered the first win. He captured the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021 after taking the lead late. Heavy rainfall then brought the race to an early end. Wallace then added another win at Kansas Speedway in 2022 after leading 58 laps.
Kurt Busch and Tyler Reddick accounted for the other two wins so far. The 2004 Cup Series champion won the spring race at Kansas Speedway in 2022 and then Reddick won at Circuit of the Americas in 2023.
23XI Racing has achieved success in a short amount of time, but the expectation is that Reddick and Wallace will each add more wins in the very near future.
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