The memories of Denny Hamlin's win in Chicagoland back in 2015 is still fresh in the fans' memories. Now that NASCAR returns to the track in Illinois in July this year, Hamlin dropped his take on his expectations about the speedway.

Ahead of race, Hamlin will be a part of the Goodyear tire test on April 21. The test was scheduled keeping in mind that the sport hasn’t been held in Chicagoland since 2019. Over the years, a lot has changed, including the introduction of the NextGen car in 2022. Hamlin, however, doesn’t feel like there will be a significant advantage.

“A third of the field hasn’t seen it. I don’t know if it's an advantage. The advantage comes from having the track time," said Hamlin. "We're going to be going out there, probably blowing dust off the thing for a few days."

The Chicagoland track hasn’t seen any racing in quite a while. Being out of use, the track will be dirty and lack grip. In that way, Hamlin believes that real-time practice matters more than history.

Hamlin won’t be the only one. Kyle Larson from HMS and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney will also take part in the test, giving three of the top five-ranked drivers some track time ahead of the race.

Hamlin expects the track to be completely different on raceday in July, but he believes some good will still come out of the test.

“We got some good comps, which are the guys that are going to be running there for the other manufacturers, are guys that I would suspect, we’re going to have to race," he said.

Even though Hamlin lives in the present, looking forward to the test results, his past records keep anticipation high.

Denny Hamlin’s Chicagoland Track Record

From the current grid at Chicagoland, Hamlin and his former teammate, Kyle Busch, have the most race starts (13). Even though the two have lately engaged in a back-and-forth, away from the track, Hamlin holds an upper hand on the rest of the grid.

While he feels there may not be a significant advantage, he is confident in his track record.

“There is some sort of advantage knowing that I have run well there, have won there, and know what a car needs to feel like at that track," he said.

Given the current scenario, Busch is going through a tough phase, not having witnessed a win for the last three years. Meanwhile, Hamlin remains in top form, with a victory under his belt this season and a streak of six straight finishes inside the top 11.

Add to that his track record in Chicagoland isn’t too bad. In 13 starts there, he has four top ten finishes, including two top five finishes. One of which was a mammoth race where he started 29th, spun on lap 2, and went on to win the race in 2015. 

Will Denny Hamlin be able to relive his golden times again at the Chicagoland Speedway? Share your thoughts.

Read more at RFK Racing Digest.

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar