When Denny Hamlin deemed himself 'the most competitive person alive'

Denny Hamlin made his NASCAR debut in 2005 for Joe Gibbs Racing and got a full-time seat with the team for the 2006 season. The #11 JGR drivers have been racing in the Cup Series for two decades and have yet to win a championship. Nonetheless, it doesn't take away Hamlin's motivation as, back in 2011, he came out and deemed himself as the most competitive driver.

Denny Hamlin was interviewed by SBNation in 2011 and was fairly candid in terms of his response. Hamlin, who was then in his sixth full-time NASCAR Cup Series season, had already finished second in the championship during the 2010 season. Amid this, the reporter asked the JGR driver how he kept himself motivated to win and where the motivation came from.

“I feel like I'm the most competitive driver in the motorhome lot. No matter what it is – whether we're racing, playing another sport or deciding who can run to that sign and back faster – I feel like I'm the most competitive person alive,” replied Denny Hamlin.

“It gets the best of me sometimes, because it makes me very hard on myself when I don't achieve the goals I want to achieve. But I feel like that's what makes me as good as I am at times – I push myself to be better, constantly,” he added.

NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 - Qualifying - Source: Getty

Since the 2011 season, Hamlin has finished inside the Top 5 of the Cup Series championship six times: third in 2014, fourth in 2019, fourth in 2020, third in 2021, and P5 in 2022 & 2023.

In 691 races run over 20 years, Hamlin has managed to win 54 races, take 53 pole positions, and finish inside the Top 10 in 360 races, which is over 50% of the races he participated in.

Denny Hamlin is the favorite to win the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, says Kevin Harvick

Denny Hamlin had a decent start to the 2025 Cup Series championship but doesn't have the results to show for it. His teammate, Christopher Bell, has already won three races this season and is in pole position for the Martinsville race. Kevin Harvick picked Hamlin as the favorite to win the race, as he said (via Happy Hour podcast)

“King of Martinsville, you know that's Denny Hamlin. It seems that they've kind of found their groove, steady and consistent, leading some laps, won a stage just last weekend, got a sponsor on the side of the car. All that noise, it just keeps getting quieter and quieter for Denny Hamlin because he just keeps putting himself in a position to perform well.” (36:26 onwards)

Hamlin has the third-best average finish at Martinsville, with Ryan Blaney and Jimmie Johnson being the only drivers having a better track record at the 0.526-mile circuit.