NASCAR returns to KC Thursday. It’s been night and day for Hamlin at Kansas Speedway
Night racing has been a nightmare for NASCAR’s Denny Hamlin at Kansas Speedway.
Hamlin has won two NASCAR Cup races at the track, in the spring of 2012 and last fall’s postseason elimination race. But since the lights were installed for night racing in 2014, Hamlin’s performances at Kansas have been, well, like night and day.
Hamlin’s average finish for six nighttime races is 23.3, including two DNFs and a best finish of fifth in 2018. But his average finish for the last six daytime fall races is a tidy 7.3, including a second place in 2015 and the victory in 2019.
Hamlin has a ready explanation for the day-night discrepancy heading into Thursday night’s Super Start Batteries 400 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts.
“I’m always better the second time around,” he said of the fall races. “Plus, the stakes are higher when you come back for the playoffs.”
Indeed, Hamlin had a dominant No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota last fall. Starting from the 23rd position, he sped to the front and led 153 of the 267 laps and held off Chase Elliott by 0.128 seconds in the race that determined the Round of 8 in the playoffs.
“One thing that was different last year was that our car was rocket fast,” Hamlin said. “I did not go into that race thinking we were going to dominate and we got to the front and we flat dominated. There was something about that setup that made me drive that track well.
“I don’t know if that was as much driver, but it was out of the blue. It was just a fast and dominating car, and we were able to hold off a few guys in those final few restarts to win it. (Crew chief) Chris Gabehart just nailed it, and any time you have a car that handles as good as that one, it makes things a lot easier.”
Hamlin, considered the best active driver not to have won a Cup championship, is already locked into the playoffs and is tied with Kevin Harvick for the most victories in the series this season, starting with his second career Daytona 500 win.
“We’ve sustained some great finishes … great speed through an entire race all year,” said Hamlin, who is sixth in the overall standings. “I would say specifically the last 10 to 11 races we’ve been exceptional, really since coming back from the break that we had.
“Where we’re really struggling is not getting stage points. I think we’d be winning the regular season if we could get some. The way the races have played out, we’ve kind of made our bed to try to win the race because we’ve had race-winning cars. I’ll definitely take race wins over stage wins …
“We just want to get back to the final four with a chance”
Securing that elusive championship would make Hamlin, 39, a lock for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. His 41 career wins rank 19th on the all-time list, one ahead of Mark Martin and three behind another Hall of Famer, Bill Elliott.
“Bill Elliott was a childhood hero of mine and the reason I got into racing when I was 5,” said Hamlin, a native of Chesterfield, Va. “I just don’t feel like my name … put them all on a sheet of paper, all these legends, Hall of Famers …I think my own name sticks out there as one that doesn’t fit.
“I can’t downplay the accomplishments that I’ve had in my career. I’ve been really blessed to be with a fantastic race team that continues to keep getting better. I just don’t see the end in sight right now. We had dominating races in 2011 where we won eight, but there’s something about kind of how things are going right now, the execution we’re having, that just feels a little different.”
TV schedule at Kansas Speedway
Thursday: 6:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Kansas 400, NBCSN
Friday: 6 p.m., Kansas 200 (NASCAR trucks), FS1
Friday: 9 p.m., ARCA Kansas 150, FS1
Saturday: 12:30 p.m., Kansas 200 (NASCAR trucks), FSN
Saturday: 4 p.m., Xfinity Kansas Lottery 250, NBCSN
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 9:48 AM.