AVONDALE, Ariz. – Denny Hamlin finished a reporter’s sentence, knowing full well how big of an advantage locking into the Championship 4 round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs early has been.
“Five out of nine,” Hamlin said, making an accurate statistical pull for just how many times the winner of the Round of 8’s first race has gone on to become the Cup Series champion.
Hamlin has the opportunity to make it six for 10 in Sunday’s championship race (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Phoenix Raceway, realizing a career-long dream after a banner season for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team. He reached the postseason’s final round with another career milestone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, landing his 60th Cup win and automatic title eligibility for Sunday’s season finale.
RELATED: Schedule, TV info: Phoenix | Champ 4 Media Day in photos
That early advancement three weeks ago may have fed Hamlin’s relaxed demeanor for Thursday’s Championship 4 Media Day, where he fielded questions alongside fellow title contenders Chase Briscoe, William Byron and Kyle Larson. It’s Hamlin’s fifth Champ 4 appearance, but his first go-around with having that luxury, and he said that spreading out the prep work over time has helped to reduce his stress level.
“It has, simply from a preparation standpoint,” Hamlin said. “Obviously, when you prepare for a test, this is a big test coming up on Sunday, you either have a lot of time to prepare for the test or you have to cram at the last minute, and this is the first time that I’ve had significant amount of time to prepare for the test. So certainly it’s a little different this time around, which I think that’s probably why you’ve seen those kind of results.”
Extra prep should allow the No. 11 team time to dial in its approach in all aspects – racecraft, pit road, strategy. But the microscope that each team is under in a one-race championship places scrutiny on any flaws or unforced errors, no matter how minute.
JGR leadership, Hamlin said, will emphasize that detail-oriented approach in the days leading up to Sunday’s 312-lapper, but that each team member recognizes the magnitude of what’s at stake.
“I mean, that responsibility is primarily in the leader’s hands, whether it be (crew chief) Chris Gayle or it’s (competition director) Chris Gabehart in the general sense of how they want to relay that message to the team, but everyone understands the moment, right?” Hamlin said. “Bad luck or unfortunate things or self-imposed bad luck does happen in big games sometimes, and I’ve experienced it firsthand. But I know everyone’s going to put their best foot forward, and I have full faith in my team and hope it all works out. But if it doesn’t, I still would ride with this team over anyone.”
Sunday will mark Hamlin’s first championship-race bid since 2021, when he placed third in Larson’s victorious run to the title. His adversities and near-misses in all sorts of playoff formats have been well-documented, all against the backdrop of posting Hall of Fame-worthy numbers with enduring regular-season excellence.
MORE: Inside Hamlin’s heartbreaks | Paint Scheme Preview
The question was posed to Hamlin whether all those trials would make winning a championship even sweeter. He allowed himself to ponder what it might mean.
“Oh, a lot more. I mean, it is true,” Hamlin said. “It’s cliche, but it’s definitely true that the losses make you appreciate the wins more, and over the 700-and-some starts that I’ve had in this series, I’ve certainly lost a ton more than what I’ve won. And I’ve had opportunities to win championships and it’s not happened. That’s been a failed mission, and so it’s certainly if and when it does happen, it absolutely will be more gratifying.”