Denny Hamlin picks his top wet-weather tire specialists in NASCAR Cup Series ft. Chase Elliott

As NASCAR witnessed the 18th race of the season, NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin recently picked a handful of Cup Series drivers who can perform better than the rest when it comes to racing in the wet weather. To save time after a two-hour delay, NASCAR officials allowed teams to use the wet-weather tires.

The USA Today 301 race in New Hampshire saw Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell secure his third win for the 2024 season. Whereas, his JGR teammate Hamlin could only win the second stage before officials halted the race due to rain. #11 Hamlin who finished the race at P24 didn't shy away from picking his arch-rivals Cup drivers as the top performers in such weather conditions after Sunday's race.

In a recent episode of Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin podcast, the 43-year-old Hamlin talked about #20 Bell's performance in wet conditions and listed his top wet-weather specialists in the NASCAR Cup Series. Hamlin said [16:36]:

"I think he's(Christopher Bell) very good in the wet weather anyway. So he's a good enough driver...that he's going to cover up maybe any deficiencies that his car might have in those types of conditions because he's just very very good at it."

Moreover, when asked about naming a handful of drivers who are good in such type of condition, Hamlin started with Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson followed by the Stewart-Haas Racing driver.

"It seems like (Kyle) Larson, you know, (Chase) Briscoe has been good in these types of conditions," Hamlin said [at 17:01].

Furthermore, #11 Hamlin also mentioned #9 Hendrick's driver Chase Elliott who albeit crossed the checkered flag at P18. Hamlin recalled Elliott's 2021 triumph at the rain-shortened race in Circuit of the Americas.

"Although I'm surprised he didn't run better I don't know if he had any damage or not. I just you know recall the race at Cota that they were having in the wet weather," Hamlin said.

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Is there anything Denny Hamlin could have done differently despite knowing the weather forecast?

The No. 11 Toyota driver Denny Hamlin elaborated on the possible changes in the setup the #11 team could have done keeping in mind the weather forecast.

In the aforementioned podcast, Hamlin said [at 17:47]:

"We saw for quite some time the top 10 during the wet weather was a lot different than what the top 10 was when we were in the dry."

However, Hamlin prioritized his dry weather setup when asked about any adjustments he would have made knowing the weather forecast.

"No, you don't want to bank on it. We're there to race in the dry and you want to build the fastest car that you possibly can for those conditions. So you would never sacrifice your dry weather setup for the chance of rain," Hamlin said [at 18:05].

After the 18th race of the 2024 season, #11 Denny Hamlin sits P3 in the overall Cup Series standings with 40 points behind P1 Kyle Larson. Hamlin currently has three wins under his name. He also has seven top-5s and eight top-10 finishes so far.