Denny Hamlin reveals massive advantage in bid for first NASCAR title

NASCAR legend Denny Hamlin has shared a theory that could suggest he has a massive advantage on his hunt for the first Cup Series victory of his career.

With just three races to go in the 2025 campaign, Hamlin is the only driver on the grid who has been locked into the Championship race following last Sunday's race at Las Vegas.

Hamlin picked up his 60th career win last time out which locked him into the Championship 4, with the result providing him a much-needed boost as he hopes to finally win the first NASCAR Cup Series title of his storied journey in the sport.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star is widely considered to be the greatest NASCAR driver to never win a championship and holds the record for the most wins without doing so. But could this be about to change?

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Hamlin shares championship boost ahead of 2025 Cup Series finale

Speaking on his podcast, Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, the 44-year-old revealed: "No one's running the sim and working on their Talladega setups. I think that everyone in the top eight is working on Phoenix this week.

"Talladega is you're running the same setup you ran for the last three years at that race track, from a driver [standpoint] it's all circumstantial, it's not like you're learning different lines and stuff so I think this week people are probably working on Phoenix, all cars.

"And so the advantage then goes to Martinsville week where, that time, I stay on Phoenix and then the field goes to Martinsville and works on that."

Podcast co-host Jared Allen then pointed out a positive trend that could therefore work in Hamlin's favour, highlighting how in the last five of the nine championship races, the champion has been the driver who won the first race of the round of eight.

"I think it's noteworthy... it's not nothing" Hamlin responded, before adding the caveat that Penske were responsible for most of those.

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs round of eight continues at the wild-card Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday, October 19, in the YellaWood 500 with the finale commencing on Sunday, November 2, at Phoenix Raceway.

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