Corey LaJoie believes Denny Hamlin ranks above Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick in the NASCAR greatness debate

Denny Hamlin's recent triumph at Dover marked his fourth win of the 2025 season, putting him within two of Kevin Harvick on the all-time wins list and stirring a debate. Where does Hamlin rank among the greats?

On the latest episode of Stacking Pennies, Corey LaJoie argued that Hamlin belongs above names like Harvick and Carl Edwards, even without a Cup championship to his name. It started during a fan-question segment as LaJoie, joined by Ryan Flores, debated how to weigh titles versus pure winning consistency and longevity.

In the process, they placed Hamlin squarely in the top tier of his era.

"You've got your Mount Rushmore, where there's in any particular order, Richard (Petty), Dale (Earnhardt), Jimmie (Johnson), Jeff Gordon, David Pearson, Tony Stewart...Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip... So, do you put Joey (Logano)... I think consistency, for the longevity of his career... I'd take Denny Hamlin over Kevin Harvick... without sitting here writing it down numerically, I'd put Denny eighth or ninth (all time)," LaJoie said (45:52 onwards)

Denny Hamlin ranks 11th on NASCAR's all-time list with 58 wins, and trails only Kyle Busch (63) among active drivers. He has more wins than legends like Rusty Wallace (55) and Junior Johnson (50), and has recorded a win in 18 of his 20 full-time seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Denny Hamlin (L) and Kevin Harvick before the 2008 Subway Fresh Fit 500. Source: Imagn

Even without a Cup title, his career-long consistency in the sport's top tier has grown harder to ignore. Skip Flores added:

"I'm not going that high, but definitely I'd say he's in top 20... In the last 20 years, I'd say he's in top seven. Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Joey (Logano). There could be arguments for like Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart. He's better than Kasey Kahne... Now, is he better than Carl Edwards? I mean, he stayed around longer," mentioned Flores and Lajoie responded with a resounding 'Yes'" (47:20 onwards)

Flores also noted the importance of Hamlin's racecraft across different generations.

"He's one of the guys that's crossed over, that was great in the old steel body cars. He was great in COT cars all through the iterations of them and now into the NEXT Gen car. That's impressive." (48:11 onwards)

The conversation highlighted how the landscape shifted across eras. Harvick's prime with Stewart-Haas Racing came during a time of car superiority. But, Hamlin has remained competitive across two decades and is in the title hunt this year, well into his 40s.

Denny Hamlin (11), Kevin Harvick (4), and Carl Edwards (99) at Talladega in 2014. Source: Imagn

Hamlin has three Daytona 500 wins, 18 playoff appearances, and a leadership role as co-owner at 23XI Racing. He's routinely in the conversation for most laps led and has one of the sport's best win ratios (0.082) in the modern era - trailing only Johnson (.120) and Busch (.096) among active multi-time winners in wins per start.

If championships are the only metric, Hamlin's resume will always have an asterisk. But if longevity, wins, and versatility across eras carry weight, then LaJoie's argument stands on solid ground.

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Can Denny Hamlin break the Brickyard drought and keep chasing that elusive title?

Denny Hamlin before the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway. Source: Imagn

The Brickyard 400 is next, and with just five races remaining before the playoffs. Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway also doubles as Round 5 of the 2025 In-Season Challenge, making it a high-stakes outing on every front.

For Denny Hamlin, the stars may be aligning. After his fourth win of the season at Dover, he goes to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with momentum. But the Brickyard remains an elusive jewel. In his 16 career starts at the 400-mile oval, he has five top-fives but no wins. With Joe Gibbs Racing hitting its stride in recent weeks, few enter with more confidence than Hamlin

Meanwhile, Chase Elliott leads in the regular season standings with 702 points, and Denny Hamlin sits fourth at 663. After missing out in 2010, 2020, and 2021, this could finally be the year he puts it all together, putting an end to the debates about his greatness.