Editor’s note: This continues the series in which we review each 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs driver in reverse order of championship finish.
Season in review: Denny Hamlin, No. 11, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Crew Chief: Chris Gabehart
Final 2024 Ranking: 8th
Key stats: Three wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s, three poles, 943 laps led
How 2024 ended: With Martinsville Speedway being one of Hamlin’s best tracks, it seemed like a Championship 4 berth was all but guaranteed. However, a practice crash sent Hamlin to the rear at the start of the penultimate race of the year. He rallied to score a fifth-place result but did not have the points to surpass William Byron for the final ticket to Phoenix as Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney all managed to win in the Round of 8 from below the elimination line. Hamlin would’ve been in a good spot to point into the Championship 4 had it not been for a massive L2-level penalty in August that cost the No. 11 team 75 driver and owner points, including 10 playoff points.
RELATED: Hamlin through the years | Hamlin scores win after wild Bristol race
Best race: Arguably the most impressive performance of 2024, Hamlin overcame an event marked by extreme tire wear at Bristol Motor Speedway to score his first of three wins in the past season. The No. 11 driver led 163 of the 500-lap event, while all but five drivers took the checkered flag a lap down. In total, there were a whopping 54 lead changes until Hamlin took command in the final 50 laps and fended off teammate Martin Truex Jr. to score his fourth victory on the concrete short track.
Other season highlights: Hamlin followed up his Bristol win quickly with a Richmond Raceway victory just two weeks later. In April, he held off a hard-charging Kyle Larson over the final laps to win at Dover Motor Speedway, giving Hamlin three checkered flags in the first 11 races.
Stat to know: Between Sonoma Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hamlin suffered the worst seven-race stretch of his career since 2013, scoring an average finish of 23.1, per Racing Insights.
Quotable: “The first few days was a shock, but I’m moving on,” Hamlin said. “There’s nothing I can do to change anything that happened, and JGR is doing what they feel is best for, them and I totally understand that. And if all of our program gets better, the 11 car’s gonna run better as well, right? And I think that all of us, all the teams, knew that we needed to have better results than what we had at the end of the year. They feel like this is the change they need to [make] to get that and that the 11 team will benefit from those changes.” — Hamlin on Gabehart moving to competition director at Joe Gibbs Racing
MORE: JGR moves Gabehart to competition director for 2025 | Hamlin’ shocked’ Gabehart won’t crew chief No. 11 in 2025
Looking ahead: At 44 years of age, that window for Hamlin’s prime inches closer to its end, but as of now, he’s shown no sign of slowing down and will be a title contender going into next season. A championship is all that eludes Hamlin’s illustrious Cup career, and now he’ll have to do it with Chris Gayle atop the box for the No. 11 Toyota team.
