NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) is introduced as the pole sitter during the Cracker Barrel 400 at the Nashville Superspeedway Sunday, May 31, 2026.

Jul 7, 2026, 12:00 PM CUT

Denny Hamlin opens up on lack of racing mentality amidst hot NASCAR streak

Denny Hamlin has been one of the most consistent drivers in NASCAR this season, regularly putting himself at the front of the field. Despite the strong run of form, he has now opened up about one aspect that held him back, especially during the Chicagoland race on Sunday.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver started the eero 400 in pole position. He remained in the Top 10 throughout stages 1 and 2, but as he cycled through the pit lane, he fell to the back of the top ten. As he fought his way back up to the front, he felt he had waited too long.

Hamlin spoke about this on Monday's episode of his "Actions Detrimental" podcast.

"And a lot of that is just no sense of urgency for me," he said. "And so that's where it is sometimes, you're too patient. And I just let that race just get too deep into the race to really say, 'Okay, I got to I need to push here.'"

Feb 13, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In the championship context, fortunately for Denny Hamlin, title rival Tyler Reddick had a mechanical issue and finished the race in 36th.

After 19 races, Hamlin has accumulated 764 points and is currently leading the NASCAR Cup Series Championship over Reddick by 44 points. Not just that, but he has set a new goal for himself to achieve before the playoffs arrive.

Denny Hamlin sets his eyes on a new goal

So far in the season, Denny Hamlin has four wins under his belt. While he is closer than ever to the regular season championship, he has his eyes on adding more wins to his tally.

In the aforementioned podcast, he opened up about the same, saying,

"I’d like to win one more race before we get into the playoffs. I thought Chicagoland was going to be the best chance of that."

Hamlin further spoke about how, despite not winning in the last three races, it hasn't affected his performance on track.

"I feel good about where we’re at, obviously. But you know, you just want to win, and that’s always been my main goal, is just to win as many races as I possibly can."

Denny Hamlin also echoed a similar sentiment during his post-race interview at Chicagoland. For him, it is now just about getting into the zone and executing on race day, and that attitude should see him through to his maiden Cup Series championship.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yash Kotak