Denny Hamlin reveals which NASCAR playoffs round has him "most concerned" this year

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin recently hosted a Q&A session on his Instagram account ahead of the first playoff race of this season. During the session, a fan questioned Hamlin about the round he's 'most concerned' about in the 2025 season playoffs.

Hamlin locked his spot in this season's playoffs after securing his first win of 2025 at Martinsville Speedway. Following the playoff format, the first race of the round of eight, the South Point 400, is scheduled for Sunday, October 12, 2025, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The next race, the YellaWood 500, will be held at Talladega Superspeedway on October 19. Followed by the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 26 at 2 pm ET.

Denny Hamlin took to Instagram and replied to the fan, sharing the schedule of the round of eight. The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver has secured only one win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2021, and since then, he has been aiming to clinch his second win. Followed by Talladega Superspeedway, where the JGR driver has two wins, and six at Martinsville Speedway.

Here's the screenshot of the story shared by Hamlin:

Denny Hamlin revealed his concern about the 2025 playoffs (Source: @dennyhamlin via Instagram)

After a P25 finish at Daytona International Speedway last week, Denny Hamlin is set to compete in the first race of the playoffs, the Cook Out Southern 500. The 367-lap race is scheduled for Sunday, August 31, 2025.

USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, and HBO Max will broadcast the 501.32-mile race live at 6 pm ET. Additionally, Hamlin has won the race three times previously, in 2010, 2017, and 2021.

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"Toughest line to walk": Denny Hamlin opened up about his intense battle with Chase Briscoe

NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin secured his 58th win in his Cup Series career at Dover Motor Speedway. However, this win was not easy to come by, as the JGR driver had to compete against his teammate, Chase Briscoe, during the closing laps of the race held on July 20, 2025.

Later, in a post-race interview with Cup Scene on YouTube, Hamlin recalled the intense fight with his teammate and told the press:

"Yeah, that's the toughest; it's the toughest line to walk truthfully because if it is someone else, you don't mind running them up in the fuzz, right? If it's a teammate, you gotta sit down; you gotta see that guy tomorrow afternoon. So it's just a little different in that aspect."

"But you know, when we went back, right before we went back, Chris and I were walking back to our cars, and I said, 'Just don't wipe me out.'" I was just, you know, I was afraid with him on, you know, we got old tires. I don't know what the grip level of the track is. I just didn't want JGR to clean itself out and then, you know, somebody else win it," Hamlin added.

Denny Hamlin ranks third in the Cup Series playoffs table with a 23-point buffer above the cutoff line. Additionally, he has secured 2029 points, four wins, 13 top-ten finishes, 11 top-five finishes, and one pole position in 25 starts this season.