Denny Hamlin receives a custom souvenir to celebrate his 700th NASCAR Cup Series start at Nashville

Denny Hamlin shared an Instagram story celebrating his 700th NASCAR Cup Series start with the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. To mark the occasion, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was gifted a custom cowboy hat that bore his initials.

Hamlin has endured a storied career spanning 20 years in the Cup Series. He has secured 56 race wins, with two coming from this season alone. The record stands as the most wins by any driver without a Cup title to his name. Nonetheless, Hamlin remains one of the most consistent drivers out there, making playoff appearances in 18 of his 19 full-time Cup seasons.

In an Instagram story ahead of Sunday's(June 1) race, Hamlin shared a special gift he received to mark his milestone start. His story's subtext read:

"A fitting gift for 700 career starts in Nashville."

Denny Hamlin's instagram story revealing his gift for 700th career start. Source:@Instagram/dennyhamlin

A follow-up story revealed the finer details of the custom hat, engraved with Hamlin's initials and the number 700.

Another look at Hamlin's cowboy hat. Source: @Instagram/dennyhamlin

Sunday's race carries a bit more weight for Denny Hamlin, as his partner Jordan Fish is expecting a baby on the same day. Reflecting upon the same, Hamlin shared that he's even willing to forgo his 700th Cup Series start to witness the child's birth.

"I can’t miss it. I certainly got to be there for her and that’s obviously the biggest priority. I just wish she would hang on a little bit longer,” he said during an interview with Dustin along on Saturday.

Denny Hamlin has recorded two pole positions at Nashville so far, but fell short of replicating the feat during Saturday's qualifying, as he locked out the front row with his JGR teammate Chase Briscoe ahead of him.

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Denny Hamlin grabs yet another top-10 finish at Nashville

Denny Hamlin secured a third-place finish in his fifth start at Sunday's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Starting behind Chase Briscoe, Hamlin struggled to overtake his JGR teammate for the majority of Stage 1, but ultimately moved into the lead by lap 83. He then held off a charging Tyler Reddick to post his third stage win of the season.

The second stage saw Ryan Blaney pressuring Hamlin for the lead, while William Byron entered the fray soon after, leading to a three-way battle for the top spot. On lap 169, Byron passed Hamlin but lost out to Blaney, who went on to capture the second stage. Hamlin settled for a third-place finish.

The final stage saw Carson Hocevar and Hamlin close in on Blaney's lead, but the Penske driver had enough pace to stay in front and earn the checkered flag, while Hamlin finished two spots below. The results mark his third top-10 in the 1.330-mile oval.