2016 Season Review: Denny Hamlin

In a photo finish that was the closest ever in the Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin emerged victorious by .010 seconds over Martin Truex Jr. to win 'The Great American Race.' The Joe Gibbs Racing driver called the win the 'biggest race of his life' as he scored Toyota's first win ever in the event and the first for JGR in 23 years at the season opener.

Pit road speeding penalties were a constant bugaboo for Hamlin and the No. 11 team all season long. The issues seemed to dissipate over the summer -- something the driver was confident would be the case in the spring.

Coming into 2016, Hamlin had yet to score a win on a road course and that nearly changed at Sonoma. Hamlin led 33 laps and caught Tony Stewart on the final lap before 'Smoke' got to the back of Hamlin in the final turn in one of the best finishes of the year.

Just over a month after his runner-up finish at Sonoma, Hamlin grabbed his first victory on a road course at Watkins Glen. He led just the last 10 laps to notch his first win since the season-opening Daytona 500, and the veteran driver would keep the good times rolling heading toward the Chase.

Hamlin notched his lone Coors Light Pole Award of the season in the regular-season finale at Richmond. He would go on to win that race in an overtime finish -- leading 189 laps on the evening. Earning strong starting spots was the norm in 2016 for Hamlin as he started outside the top 12 just one time.

The rest of his JGR teammates may have driven at the back of the pack at Talladega Superspeedway but Hamlin got all he could as he looked to advance to the Round of 8. Hamlin's third-place finish left him tied with Austin Dillon for the final transfer spot into the Chase's Round of 8. Based on each driver's respective best finish in the Round of 12, Hamlin advanced. Hamlin's Chase run would end after the Round of 8.

The racing got a bit physical between Hamlin and eventual series champion Jimmie Johnson at Martinsville in the Round of 8 opener. The two drivers each have had their success at the short track and the close-quarters racing led to some fiery exchanges over the radio. Johnson passed Hamlin with 92 laps to go, scoring the race win while Hamlin placed third. The duo engaged in a humorous game of one-upmanship on Twitter in the days after the race over their Halloween costumes.