Denny Hamlin joins Bobby Allison in exclusive NASCAR milestone club after WWT Raceway win

Following his Enjoy Illinois 300 victory at the World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois on Sunday, Denny Hamlin reached an exclusive NASCAR milestone alongside Bobby Allison. With the win, Hamlin reached a five-win season with four different crew chiefs, something only Allison has achieved in his career.

Over the years, Hamlin has won five races with Mike Ford in 2010, his first crew chief with whom he won five races in a single season. Following this, he worked with Darian Grubb and won five races in 2012.

The #11 Driver then worked with Christopher Gabehart and won five races again in 2019, and 2020. Ultimately, he signed up to race with Chris Gayle this year and won five races again.

Bobby Allison, the former Cup Series driver, won five races with Herb Nab in 1972, and went on to win five races again with crew chief Waddell Wilson in 1981). With Bud Moore, he won twice in 1978 and 1979, and finally with Gary Nelson in 1982 and 1983.

Denny Hamlin started his race on Sunday from the pole position after a stellar qualifying effort on Saturday. However, he dropped to third place by the end of Stage 1, behind Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson.

Hamlin further dropped to seventh place in Stage 2, but made a remarkable comeback in the final stage to claim his fifth win. The #11 driver finished the race ahead of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe.

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Denny Hamlin let his feelings known after Gateway victory

Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts after he claimed the victory at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Illinois on Sunday. Speaking to the media in the post-race interview, here's what the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said:

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) poses for a photo after winning the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. - Source: Imagn

“Yeah, it’s so big for everyone at Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing. The Toyota was just great there at the end. And so happy to get this victory and my dad’s not feeling well at home. So just shoutout to him, the whole family’s here, so fantastic day and it couldn’t be better. ... Just step up."

"I mean, all I can do is just keep being a student of the game, keep trying to get better, and every week is a chance to get a little better. I just told (Bill Murray) him to talk to the guys behind me and make sure they stay behind me the rest of the race. So we made that happen. Man, it’s just a great victory. Love that Denny Time flag. You all can boo me, but you can either get on the bandwagon, or you can get run over by it," he further added.

Thanks to his victory, Hamlin has qualified for the playoffs round of 12 alongside his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe. So far, only two drivers have qualified for the playoffs, as Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman, and Josh Berry are currently under the cutline.