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NASCAR driver and team owner Denny Hamlin recently talked about how much he values his mother Mary Lou Hamlin's support in an interview. Hamlin advanced to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR playoffs after the ROVAL 400 race.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver earned his spot in the playoffs by just seven points after finishing in 14th place and also benefited from Alex Bowman’s surprise disqualification.
Hamlin shared that he felt both stressed and calm during the race in a post-race conversation with Claire B. Lang. He mentioned that he wanted to hold onto his position and avoid losing spots if there was a caution.
When asked from whom he got the biggest hug, Michael Jordan or his mom, Hamlin said:
“Probably mom. She's been my biggest support for over 40 years, you know, so certainly happy about that. And now we're going to race tracks, and I'm really, really confident, and so I just can't wait to go."
Denny Hamlin will race in Las Vegas, Miami, and Martinsville over the next few weeks in the Round of 8.
Denny Hamlin gears up for upcoming races
Denny Hamlin, the No. 11 driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, is now 6th in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings and 8 points below the cut line.
In the same conversation with Claire B. Lang, the 43-year-old also talked about how the recent tracks have not suited his strengths. However, he is excited about the upcoming oval tracks which he feels more confident about. Hamlin said:
"These tracks are just not my specialty, you know, there's no secret about that. And so it's just been a grind, just get good finishes, right? You know, Kansas is the only one where, you know, I feel like that's what I grew up doing, and that's NASCAR racing made, and we added all these different tracks. Just doesn't, you know, it's not my specialty, so it doesn't quite fit me as well but now all these ovals are coming up and I'm really happy to be racing for the championship on those."
The first race in the Round of 8 is the South Point 400 next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hamlin won this race last in 2021 and has had an 8th and 10th-place finish in the last two races.
At the Homestead–Miami Speedway, Hamlin has multiple top-10 finishes though he suffered an accident last year. Hamlin also has a strong history at Martinsville Speedway and finished 3rd in 2023 and 5th in 2022.
Denny Hamlin has reached the Championship 4 four times before but has yet to win a Cup Series championship. He was last in the Championship 4 in 2021, where he finished 3rd. The final race this season at Phoenix is on November 10.
