NASCAR Hall of Famer reveals why Denny Hamlin is his pick for Cup Series championship

NASCAR Hall of Famer Carl Edwards has revealed why Denny Hamlin is his pick to become Cup Series champion in 2025.

Edwards ran in 445 races during his Cup Series career and spent two seasons as Hamlin's teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015 and 2016.

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Whilst Edwards retired following his final season at JGR, Hamlin continues to race at 44 years old, winning three races so far in 2025.

Now, speaking on Prime Video at Pocono, Edwards admits that he previously misunderstood Hamlin, revealing the key reasons he believes he will pick up his first title in 2025.

"What people might misunderstand when they watch professional sports and they watch a guy like Denny Hamlin. I misunderstood," Edwards explained.

"I thought he is racing for a championship, that is it, that's what he's doing, and now I've learned it's not that.

"Denny Hamlin is literally a guy who loves the process, he just wants to be the best race car driver he can be. It shocked me that he said, 'hey, after practice, I'm looking at other drivers'.

"I mean he's a seven-time winner here [at Pocono]. Nobody is better. He's looking through all the SMT data. He is learning and that's why he's good at 44.

"That's why he's my pick for the championship this year. Because it's hard to beat someone who loves his process like he does."

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Can Denny Hamlin win his first championship in 2025?

There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Denny Hamlin is one of the favorites for this year's Cup Series championship.

Even at 44, the Joe Gibbs Racing star is running as well as anyone in the series so far this season, and there was further evidence of that on Sunday.

Whilst some drivers might have to ease back into things after skipping a race weekend, Hamlin was straight back on it at Pocono and could well have come away with another win had things shaken out slightly differently.

Of course, though, all of this comes with the caveat that NASCAR championships are currently decided by a playoff format.

And, whilst drivers have multiple races in the first few rounds to advance to the next, the championship is decided by a single race.

That means that ultimately, the season is defined by one race, and therefore, literally anything can happen.

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