"It’s hard to find any consistency from anyone" - Denny Hamlin says lack of 'domination' from NASCAR drivers has scattered playoff points

After winning last week’s Coca-Cola 600, Denny Hamlin got his best spot of the season in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. The 41-year-old didn’t have such a good start to the season, but he did a fantastic job with two wins and some consistent finishes that kept Hamlin in the playoff race.

However, with his two wins, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has already confirmed his spot in the 2022 playoffs, but will look to finish higher. He stands at his best position of the season at 17th in the points table with 309 points.

The Tampa, Florida native is tied with Ross Chastain and William Byron to win two races in the first 14 races so far, but none of the drivers have come up dramatically above the others in terms of playoff points.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that the uncertainty of Next Gen cars on different surfaces has played a significant role in producing topsy-turvy performances.

During Sunday's post-race interview, Denny Hamlin said that he didn’t like his playoff position as he has just 309 playoff points.

He went on to say that there has been no domination in the Cup Series this season as no driver has shown consistency, which has made a difference in playoff points among drivers.

Hamlin said:

“I didn’t really like my playoff spot simply because we didn’t have very many playoff points, but no one does. There’s been no domination in our sport right now from anyone. It’s hard to find any consistency from anyone. It’s allowed the playoff points to get spread out all over the place.”

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Denny Hamlin points out the reason behind lack of domination this season

Speaking about the playoff points, Denny Hamlin said that there have always been two or three drivers in the past season who have scored 40 points as compared to this year.

Hamlin said:

“There’s not two to three guys, like in the past, that’s got 40 (playoff points). Probably won’t have that this year. I think it’s going to be more wide-open. It’s going to force the guys who have been up front all year to have to run every round.”

Usually, drivers with a victory, especially with multiple victories, tend to rise to the top of the points table. Over one-third of the season has passed and four drivers with victories are ranked 13th or lower in the standings.

While Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr., who stand in the top-five in the standings, have yet to win a points-paying race this season.