“I love where I’m at” - Denny Hamlin hungry for more amid best start to a season in over a decade

Denny Hamlin has been to the victory lane three times this season already. We're 11 races in to the Cup Season and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has once again emerged as championship favorite.

In fact, Hamlin's start to the 2024 season 11 races in, has been the best start to a season he's had in over a decade. The last time he had three wins to his name at this stage of the season, the year was 2010. Hamlin, who was around 30 years old then, had won at Martinsville, Texas, and Darlington, along with one finish inside the top 5.

This season, he is around 44 years of age, and has won thrice, at Bristol, Richmond, and Dover. So this led to SiriusXM NASCAR asking the #11 driver if he thinks he can keep this going. Hamlin claimed he can and explained why he thinks so.

"I think my drive will keep it going simply because I want to win. I love where I'm at in my career. I love being able to sit down and study and do my homework and continue to get better, even at my age. That all matters to me. And when I can see results like this, it all certainly means a lot and it fuels my passion for the sport and my competitiveness for winning," he described.

Kyle Petty full of praise for Denny Hamlin after career milestone

With his third win of the season, Denny Hamlin equaled the win record of Lee Petty, the father of Richard Petty, with 54 wins. This was a feat which impressed Lee Petty's grandson and former NASCAR driver, Kyle Petty, who had words of praise for the JGR driver.

"That is huge people, that is huge. Only 12 guys in the history of the sport have ever climbed that 54 mountain, and Denny Hamlin is one of them," Petty said, as per NASCAR.

Petty remarked that Hamlin is a driver who came to NASCAR with "tons of talent and tons of speed" but nothing beyond that. Importantly, it's what he has done with just those two things that have come to define him.

"He’s taken that speed, he’s corralled it after all these years, and he’s taken that talent, and he’s become that guy, that has that magic bag of tricks. He can start anywhere, anytime and make something happen in those last five or six laps of the race,” Petty said of Hamlin.

Going forward, it'll be interesting to see just how many more races Hamlin ends up winning this year. There's a big chance that he will surpass the record of Lee Petty. But could he win his first title this year?

Time will tell.