Denny Hamlin will pace the 16-driver field for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase as he clinched the No. 1 seed after Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver took the points lead from 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick after Sonoma Raceway in June and hasn’t looked back — topping the series table for the next seven weeks through the summer to secure his position entering The Chase.
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For earning the No. 1 seed, Hamlin will enter The Chase with a 25-point buffer to second place when the green flag waves for the opening postseason event at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 6 (5 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
After a seventh-place result at New Hampshire, Hamlin improved his 2026 average finish to 8.1, which is on pace to be a career-best in his 21st full-time season. Hamlin has completed every lap of every race except for just two circuits in the season-opening Daytona 500.
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“I feel good about where our team’s at,” Hamlin said after Loudon. “Everyone’s kind of clicking well and don’t have a whole lot of weaknesses. We’re not as strong as the Penske cars on these types of race tracks. But you know, Martinsville, we are good. Phoenix, we’ve been good. It’s just over the last few, this just has not been a strong three or four weeks. And when I say not strong, it’s you know top fives and top sevens. It’s something we can work with and the mile-and-a-halfs is certainly something that has been our strength for a couple years now. So looking forward to getting The Chase started and see where it goes.”