"I’ve adapted to that type of style": Denny Hamlin on what makes him exceptional at Kansas 

In the Next Gen era, Denny Hamlin at Kansas is one of the most successful a driver has been at a racetrack on a consistent basis. From the race in May 2022 until the most recent one in May earlier this year, Hamlin has never failed to finish outside of the top 5 even once.

In the 5 races at Kansas in the Next Gen era, Hamlin has had 5th, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, and 4th place finishes.

And heading into this weekend's race, the first race of the Round of 12 playoffs, Denny Hamlin was asked what is it about Kansas that suits his driving style. Hamlin said that what made him 'really strong' at Kansas is the ability to run the same lap time in multiple lanes.

"Certainly, everyone can run fast when they go up by the wall, but can you run fast when you actually have to pass someone and have to go down low. I think our ability and the versatility of our car over the last few years is really what’s made us excel and just the momentum-based type of racing that we have on these mile and a halves. It seems like I’ve adapted to that type of style," he explained [at 3:10].

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Denny Hamlin weighs in on Kansas taking Phoenix's spot as the championship-deciding race

From 2004 until 2019, the race that decided the NASCAR championship took place at Homestead Miami. But from 2020 onwards, that spot was taken by Phoenix Raceway.

The short track in Arizona, while it has retained its spot as the season finale for 5 years now, hasn't exactly convinced drivers and fans of it deserving that spot. Earlier this year, Denny Hamlin too hinted at his dislike for Phoenix as the all-important race, suggesting that NASCAR has other motivations for Phoenix to host the final race of the season. On an episode of Actions Detrimental in May this year, he claimed (as quoted by On3.com):

"It sounds like, to me, that Phoenix is paying NASCAR," Hamlin said.

And ahead of the race the playoffs race this Sunday, Hamlin was asked if Kansas could be a fitting venue for hosting the NASCAR championship race.

"Yeah, it certainly, from a driver’s standpoint, from a competition standpoint, it seems like it puts on some of the best racing that we have. Even though mile and a halves generally have gotten really good over the Next Gen era, this track in particular stands out amongst them," Hamlin said [at 4:00].

He further joked that considering the 'one race winner take all' nature of the current NASCAR championship format, his preference for Kansas is biased. Having said that, Denny Hamlin mentioned that several factors go into deciding which racetrack hosts the most important race at the end of a NASCAR season.