Denny Hamlin drops cheeky response under NASCAR's latest William Byron post

Denny Hamlin has responded to William Byron's claim that no one's running away in the playoffs, given how tight the field is. The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver said nobody can truly pull ahead when the playoff standings reset every three races.

Byron made his comment after clinching the regular-season championship, which awarded him 15 additional playoff points. While Hamlin is correct that the standings reset every three races, those playoff points provide drivers with a cushion against poor finishes. The only exception is the Championship 4 race, where playoff points no longer matter and the title goes to the highest finisher.

Denny Hamlin left a comment under NASCAR's Instagram post featuring a quote from William Byron.

“Can't run away when you reset every 3 weeks,” Hamlin wrote.

Denny Hamlin's comment under NASCAR's post on Instagram

After 25 races this year, William Byron leads the standings with 839 points, 68 points ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott. He has also scored two wins (including the Daytona 500), nine top-fives, and 13 top-10s. In comparison, Denny Hamlin has collected 766 points (-73 points below Byron) with four wins, 11 top-fives, and 13 top-10s.

Hamlin is tied with Shane van Gisbergen for the most wins heading to the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona will take place on Saturday from 7:30 p.m. ET. The 160-lap night race will precede the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. Other tracks in the Round of 16 include World Wide Technology Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway.

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“That argument doesn't hold any weight”: Denny Hamlin challenges Mamba Smith's statement on crowning the champion

Denny Hamlin challenged Mamba Smith's argument that NASCAR crowns the best team when it matters most - during high-pressure, spotlight races. He pointed to Corey Heim as an example, noting that while Heim may be dominating the Craftsman Truck Series, an unlucky scenario like a blown tire in the season finale could still cost him the championship.

On a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, the 58-time Cup race winner said (via YouTube):

“We have luck involved in our sport, more so than any other sport. So that argument doesn't hold any weight, hardly at all, just simply because, and again, the ratio on the comments to likes is speaking for itself, but I don't know. I've seen that this whole when the ‘lights are bright, the pressure’ like that seems like it's a company talking point that PR is pushing to, ‘This is what we're going to say when it comes to crowning a champion’. But realistically, I think the fan base is kind of had enough of it. They understand it a little bit better.” [15:25]

Since going full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2006, Denny Hamlin hasn't won the championship. However, he hasn't missed the playoffs except for the 2013 season, when he was sidelined for several races due to injury.

One of his closest seasons to winning a championship was in 2010. He entered the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 15-point advantage over Jimmie Johnson. Unfortunately, he had a tough race to finish 14th, allowing Johnson to secure the championship with a second-place finish for his fifth of seven titles.