NASCAR: Denny Hamlin inches nearer to undesirable file

NASCAR: Denny Hamlin inches closer to unwanted record - Beyond the Flag
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR (Photograph by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Photos)

Denny Hamlin obtained off to a tough begin within the 2022 NASCAR Cup Sequence season, however he discovered victory lane on Sunday at Richmond Raceway.

Regardless of a 2021 NASCAR Cup Sequence common season that noticed him file 13 high 5 finishes, together with eight within the first 9 races, it took Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin till the primary race of the playoffs to seek out victory lane.

This season, the three-time Daytona 500 winner obtained off to a disastrous begin. For the primary time in 17 Daytona 500 makes an attempt, he failed to complete the “Nice American Race”, and thru six races, he had completed no larger than thirteenth place. He sat in twenty second within the level standings.

However on Sunday afternoon at Richmond Raceway, Hamlin turned his season round, turning into the seventh completely different winner in seven races in 2022.

The win was the forty seventh of his Cup Sequence profession, breaking a tie for seventeenth on the all-time record with the late Buck Baker.

Nevertheless, it introduced the 41-year-old Chesterfield, Virginia native one win nearer to an undesirable file: most wins in Cup Sequence historical past with out profitable a title.

That file at present belongs to the late Junior Johnson, who earned 50 victories in his Cup Sequence profession. However Johnson by no means competed full-time; actually, in solely seven of his 14 seasons of competitors did he compete in additional than half the schedule.

By way of drivers who competed full-time, no driver has gained extra races than Hamlin has with out profitable a title.

Hamlin turned the winningest non-champion amongst full-time drivers throughout his seven-win 2020 season, which he began with 37 victories. Together with his third win of the 12 months at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he tied Mark Martin atop the all-time record with 40. He surpassed Martin with win quantity 41 at Pocono Raceway.

Whereas Hamlin has gained a race in 2022, he has not but formally locked himself into the playoffs, as there might nonetheless very nicely be greater than 16 completely different race winners within the common season; there are nonetheless 19 races to go earlier than the postseason. In that case, the tiebreaker amongst single-race winners would change into factors.

Of the seven winners to this point, the motive force of the #11 Toyota ranks lowest in factors; he sits in twentieth place within the standings.


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