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NASCAR legend Mark Martin hailed 23XI Racing co-owner and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin for his racing prowess, acknowledging his numerous achievements in NASCAR, including multiple wins and prestigious titles like the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600.
On predicting the 2024 Cup champion, worth $70,000,000, Martin said that he wants Hamin to win the Bill France Cup this season but noted that it’s not going to be easy for him, considering the current playoff format.
Martin believes that Hamlin will remain one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time, whether he wins the Cup title or not. The JGR veteran is the winningest driver in series history to have never won a Cup championship.
In a recent interview with “Rubbin is Racing," reflecting on Denny Hamlin's championship quest and his legacy within NASCAR, Martin said:
“I would like to see Denny Hamlin win it, but I think it's a tall order with the format as it is especially you just pretty much have to win the last race, and that's a lot to ask from anyone. I just hate for him to have to endure all that. He ain’t got no Cup, you know. That's just so ridiculous. The dude's got what 55 wins or something like that three Dayona 500; he's won everything.”
“He is one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time, and whether or not he wins the championship doesn't, you know, change the fact that he has done an amazing things”
Denny Hamlin is arguably one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time. He holds 53 Cup wins, including triumphs in the Daytona 500 (2016, 2019, 2020), Coca-Cola 600 (2022), and Southern 500 (2010, 2017, 2021). He has also earned 18 wins in the Xfinity Series and two in the Truck Series.
How Denny Hamlin has performed this season so far
The #11 JGR driver kicked off the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season in victory lane with a win at the Busch Light Clash exhibition race.
Hamlin has won two-point races, with the most recent one coming at the Richmond Raceway in March.
He also holds two top-5s and three top-10s with an average finish of 13.11 in nine starts. He has already locked his playoff spot and stands third in the Cup Series points table with 307 points.
Catch Denny Hamlin in action at Sunday's GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The race kicks off at 3 p.m. ET.
