Denny Hamlin seems to be downplaying his chances of overtaking Tyler Reddick in points for the Cup Series championship despite dramatically reducing the gap to just 51 points between him and his 23XI Racing driver.

Speaking about the standings, Hamlin insisted that he was in no way getting ahead of himself. “It's attainable, but, you know, I just, I'd rather under-promise and over-deliver to y'all on this one. I just, I think it's still gonna be hard,” he said.

The veteran driver racing for Joe Gibbs Racing has won back-to-back races at Nashville and Michigan, establishing himself as the closest challenger to Reddick's dominance.

Hamlin explained that the remaining schedule is why he remains cautious. “I think that given the schedule right now, I'm a very much a realist that, you know, there's certainly at least a couple racetracks where I'm, you know, unless Tyler has bad luck, I'm going to lose points to him.”

He continued, “If I can keep winning every race that turns left, then yeah, sure, we got a shot. But I just think it's gonna be hard to sustain over the long run.”

This development is significant because after Hamlin won at Michigan, combined with Reddick's disastrous 35th-place finish, the pre-existing 96-point gap was reduced to a mere 51 points in just one weekend.

Reflecting on Michigan, Hamlin added, “I didn't budget for Tyler to finish last and us to finish first in a race, right? That's just bad luck.”

But he's not lost all hope either, as he then pointed out that with the new format granting more points for winning, he feels “you’re never out of it,” even when a rival’s lead reaches triple digits.

Is there a chance for the driver to win this year? Well, that is too far a prediction to make, but let’s take a look at the next race and how it can play out for Hamlin.

Denny Hamlin’s Pocono edge over Tyler Reddick could be crucial

Pocono Raceway has been Denny Hamlin's strongest track, and the numbers show why. Even when compared to points leader Reddick, Hamlin's dominance at the Tricky Triangle is clearly evident.

Reddick owns a mere two top-five finishes, four top-10s, and a 16.1 average finish at Pocono, which, when compared to Hamlin's seven wins, 17 top-fives, 24 top-10s, and 10.1 average finish, appears uncompetitive.

Add to that the historical affiliation Hamlin has with the track, as it marked his first Cup Series victory in 2006, and Hamlin will arrive here as a favorite. A win would strengthen his championship chances while also providing much-needed confidence for the rest of the season.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason