Home / NASCAR / New 3-Time Dad Denny Hamlin A Heavy Favorite For NASCAR Cup Series Race At Pocono

New 3-Time Dad Denny Hamlin A Heavy Favorite For NASCAR Cup Series Race At Pocono

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin might be a bit sleep deprived when he arrives at Pocono Raceway for The Great American Getaway 400 NASCAR Cup Series race (Amazon Prime, 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday).

But Hamlin, whose girlfriend Jordan Fish recently gave birth to the couple’s third child and first son, is undoubtedly going to be raring to go — for at least two reasons.

And those reasons, coupled together, make him the overwhelming favorite to prevail Sunday at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania track known as the “Tricky Triangle.”

Denny Hamlin’s Decision To Skip Mexico City Race Meant The End Of A Long Streak

In opting out of last Sunday’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City to spend time at home with his new family of five, Denny Hamlin snapped a run of 406 consecutive Cup starts.

Prior to last weekend, Hamlin hadn’t missed an event for NASCAR’s premier division since March 2014.

That speaks to the veteran driver’s commitment to his team, team owner Joe Gibbs and his race car — the No. 11 Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing.

Thankfully for Hamlin, choosing not to go to Mexico City did no significant damage to his championship aspirations. At least in the short term. Although missing the race meant collecting no playoff points, which could come back to bite Hamlin come playoff time, he received a NASCAR waiver that essentially excused his absence.

With the waiver, Hamlin is still championship eligible despite missing a race, which drivers are only allowed to do in rare cases and still maintain their championship eligibility. Hamlin did, however, drop from third to fifth in the Cup Series standings, which probably eliminates him from contention for the regular season championship.

The regular season champ — the driver with the most points after 26 races — earns a bonus of 15 playoff points that carry over to each playoff round. Staying home this past weekend could put Hamlin at a disadvantage when the playoffs arrive, but it has little impact on his title hopes for the time being.

All that said, Hamlin is no doubt aware that handing over his seat to a substitute driver (who turned out to be Ryan Truex) certainly didn’t do anything to aid his quest for an elusive first NASCAR Cup Series championship.

So you can pretty much bet he’ll be extra motivated this weekend at Pocono to make up some of what he lost.

Denny Hamlin Is NASCAR’s Resident King Of Pocono, And It’s Not Even Close

Even if he wasn’t returning from a one-week hiatus, Denny Hamlin would still be the odds-on pick to come out on top at Pocono.

How so? Well, it’s pretty simple, really.

Consider that:

  • Hamlin’s seven career wins at Pocono are the most all-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Hamlin has been to Victory Lane more at Pocono than any other track.
  • Hamlin is the only repeat winner in the last eight Pocono races, prevailing three times over that stretch.
  • Hamlin has nearly twice as many wins at Pocono as any other active driver.
  • Only two other drivers in Sunday’s race — Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney — own multiple Pocono wins.
  • A total of just eight drivers in Sunday’s race have conquered Pocono even once.

Throw in the fact that Hamlin has been to Victory Lane three times in 2025 and took home the trophy at Michigan just prior to missing Mexico City, and it’s pretty clear that he’s the man to beat on Sunday. Even if he has, perhaps, been up all times of night in recent days helping care for a newborn baby.

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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