“He’s underrated”: Mark Martin highlights Denny Hamlin’s 3x Daytona 500 wins as proof of superior career

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin has struggled to secure a win in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs. Recently, NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin expressed his belief in Hamlin's skills as a driver, ahead of the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.

Hamlin drives the #11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Throughout his career, he has achieved 74 race wins across NASCAR's national series, with 54 of those in the Cup Series. Despite his impressive performance record, the Virginia native has yet to secure a Cup Series championship, a notable absence in an otherwise consistently successful career.

In a recent post on X, Mark Martin was asked who has had a better career between him and JGR's #11 driver, to which he confidently responded:

"Denny Hamlin. Three Daytona 500's and 55 wins. That's 15 more than me. And three of them were Daytona 500s. And when he came on the scene as a rookie, he blew our doors off. I mean, Denny Hamlin, he's underrated. He doesn't get the credit he deserves."

Denny Hamlin has only managed to secure two top-five finishes in eight playoff races thus far. Moreover, the three-time Daytona 500 winner is currently 18 points below the cut-off line for the Championship race.

Meanwhile, Hamlin's 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick has secured a spot in the final four after driving down victory lane in the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway, where Hamlin secured a P3 finish.

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“Need to get better there”: Denny Hamlin self-critical after Tyler Reddick’s sensational Homestead win

23XI Racing's driver of the #45 Camry Tyler Reddick secured a historic win at Homestead and reserved his spot in the title chase. Looking at his driver, 23XI's co-owner and playoff driver Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on being "better" as a driver, to confirm his presence at Phoenix Raceway.

In the final lap of the race at Homestead, the Virginia native was running P2, right behind reigning champion Ryan Blaney, who looked poised to win the race. Reddick, who was in P3, overtook Hamlin and Blaney on the final turn and crossed the finish line in P1.

In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin reflected on his performance at Homestead and said:

"I just didn't run the bottom as good as what the 12 (Ryan Blaney) could. He just was better than me running the bottom. When he got to the bottom, and he hit the gas, the thing kept going. I just couldn't hold it down there and if I did I was going to have to slow up too much and then I risk letting him get beside me in the middle of the corner."

"And so, I don't know there's surely something that I could have done different. Being a good defender... I'm not super high on that list. So, need to get better there," Hamlin added.

The Round of 8 finale is scheduled for November 3, at 2 PM ET. Six drivers, including Hamlin, will fight for two playoff spots. Catch the action live on NBC Sports, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel.