“We have a lot of confidence going into this weekend”: Denny Hamlin looking to emulate his strong Bristol record 

Preparing for the final race of the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 16, driver and team owner Denny Hamlin looks forward to ending the first round of the postseason on a high. The #11 Toyota Camry TRD driver will be heading into this weekend's Bass Pro Shops Night Race while sitting in third position on the playoffs drivers standings table, with a healthy buffer over the cut line.

The 500-lap-long event at Bristol Motor Speedway is a highly anticipated event during the Cup Series playoffs, with the traditional concrete layout of the track in effect. Hamlin's previous visits to the 0.5-mile-long track have stemmed good results as well, keeping spirits high in the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing camp.

Denny Hamlin has previously won the night event twice at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Tampa, Florida native also has back-to-back top 10 finishes at the venue over the past two seasons, along with nine top 5 finishes to add to his statistics.

Heading into this year's third playoff race, Denny Hamlin elaborated on what his approach will be at the short track and told speedwaydigest.com:

“We have a lot of confidence going into this weekend. I don’t think our approach will change at all. There are seven playoff points up for grabs, so our goal is to go there, qualify up front and put ourselves in position to win stages and have a shot to win the race."

Looking to have a solid points day at Bristol and contend for the victory if the situation presents itself, Denny Hamlin seems prepared to challenge once again for that all-elusive championship title.

Denny Hamlin on the playoff drivers who need to be wary of their performances more than anyone else

Putting an interesting point forward, Cup Series driver and team owner Denny Hamlin gave his thoughts on which playoff drivers feel safe sitting in the top 16 as the Round of 12 approaches this weekend.

He spoke his mind on his popular podcast, Actions Detrimental, and said:

"I can tell you as a driver, the people that are nervous is from (Ryan) Blaney (P6) down. I think Blaney +25 and below are the guys that are like 'Man, I can't screw up this weekend.'"

Watch Hamlin continue his championship charge this Sunday as the sport goes live from Bristol Motor Speedway for the final Round of 16 race of the season.