Of all the ironies that have arisen out of our most recent “Silly Season”, few jump out at this observer more than the fact that with Tony Stewart’s departure from Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin, at 28, is the old man of the team. By all accounts, this realization is not lost on Hamlin and he is looking to “step up” as a leader in the Gibbs garage.
It’s all changed so quickly. Just 5 years ago, Hamlin was building his resume in the Busch Series.
James Dennis Alan Hamlin Jr. was born November 18, 1980 in *Tampa, Florida, but calls Chesterfield, Virginia his hometown. For a sport once dominated by Southerners, Denny is one of the few young drivers in NASCAR hailing from below the Mason- Dixon line. While his place of origin may differ from that of teammates Joey Logano (Conneticut) and Kyle Busch (Nevada), he does share this with his fellow young NASCAR guns- racing started early. Hamlin started racing at age 7, and you would figure he’s catch the bug- Denny won his first race.
While racing karts, Hamlin filled his trophy case with 127 feature wins and 5 titles in 3 classes.
Hamlin grew up a fan of one of NASCAR’s best ever- Bill Elliott. Some of “Awesome Bill’s”
mojo must have rubbed off…he was NASCAR mini stock Rookie Of The Year at age 16- racing at Southside and Langley Speedways. By 1998, Hamlin was racing in the NASCAR Grand Stock Division- earning a Most Popular Driver Award in 1999. That same year, Hamlin won 5 features, plus 17 top 5s in 25 races.
As the sun started coming up on the 21st Century, Denny Hamlin turned to the late models and his skill won him Rookie Of The Year at Southside Speedway. It stands to reason as the Washington Redskins fan registered 18 top 10s and 11 top 5s, putting him in the top 5 in season points.
2003 proved a watershed year for Hamlin. He posted an amazing 25 wins, 33 top 5s, and 30 poles at Southern National Speedway. The wins came at a variety of tracks: South Boston, Hickory, Southampton, Southern National and Coastal Plains.
That kind of performance caught the attention of a man with a link to his favorite football team. NFL Hall Of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, known better by NASCAR fans as the grand patriarch of Joe Gibbs Racing. Suffice it to say, the Gibbs family knows how to spot talent- having once been team home to champions such as Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart.
Hamlin became JGR’s first driver in their “developmental program.”
Denny Hamlin cut his teeth at the national level at what was then called the Craftsman Truck Series in 2004. In 5 truck races, he picked a top 5, that came at Indianapolis. At New Hampshire, Hamlin placed 11th.
2004 would also be the year Denny Hamlin would make his Busch (now Nationwide) Series debut. Rain during qualifying put him 27th at Darlington, but Hamlin proved a quick study and he would finish 8th.
By 2005, Hamlin was a Bush Series regular as a replacement for Mike Bliss in the #20 ride. While he went winless, Hamlin demonstrated skill by collecting 11 top 10s and a top 5. He led in 11 races and only failed to finish a race 3 times. On October 9, 2005- Denny Hamlin made his Cup Series debut at Kansas. He qualified 32nd and finished 7th that day.
Not bad.
Denny Hamlin was named a full-time driver for the #11 FedEx Chevrolet for the 2006. It would provide a chance for Hamlin to show thanks to his parents, who had believed in him enough they had re-financed the house to finance his racing career.
Hamlin kicked off 2006 with a bang. He stunned the NASCAR world with a win at the Budweiser Shootout- the first ROY candidate to do so. Though he would come up in a bumper crop of rookie studs, Denny found a way to stand out among the likes of Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., David Gilliland, David Stremme and Reed Sorenson.
The wins came quickly. On June 11, 2006 at Pocono, Denny Hamlin won his first Cup race- almost 3 months after his first Busch Series win in Mexico City.
Rookie seasons don’t get much better: Hamlin also won the second Pocono race and he made Chase. In addition to his two wins, Denny also picked up 8 top 5s, 20 top 10s, and 3 poles- two at Pocono, the other at Richmond. With his 3rd place finish in the points, it stands to reason Hamlin was named Rookie Of The Year.
Hamlin was also wildly successful on NASCAR’s “second level.” In the Busch Series, Hamlin captured 6 poles, 12 top 5s, and 23 top 10s- good for a 4th place finish in the Busch standings. A second victory came at Darlington- demonstrating a mastery of a variety of tracks.
Hamlin would carry his success over into the 2007 season. He picked up career victory number 3 at New Hampshire. Still, there were a few more bumps in the road: Hamlin got rammed by teammate Tony Stewart at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona. Smoke contended his younger teammate had lost sight of the meaning of teamwork. Hamlin ran a number of strong races, but occasional foibles on pit road derailed a potential victory or two. Hamlin generated a bit of controversy by publicly displaying his displeasure with his pit crew.
Though he came into the Chase 6th in the standings, Hamlin hit another big pot hole when he collided with veteran Kyle Petty. The accident led to a confrontation in the garage, with Petty pulling down Hamlin’s window net and waving his finger at the young driver with Denny still in the car. Fireworks escalated when Petty flipped Hamlin’s eye shield down.
Hamlin ended the season in 12th.
In the Busch Series- Hamlin was a 3-time winner, with victories coming at Darlington, Dover and Michigan. He had a shot at a 4th victory in Milwaukee. Hamlin arrived late from qualifying in Sonoma, and Aric Almirola started the race- getting the credit for the win. Because of the track’s proximity to Rockwell Automation’s headquarters, the sponsor for the car, Almirola would be lifted for Hamlin in mid-race.
Almirola’s displeasure with the decision would play a part in the Floridian’s departure from JGR.
Some may have wondered if Denny Hamlin would start 2008 with a 2007 hangover. He started the season with a non-descript 27th at Daytona and another rough run at California. After a 9th at Las Vegas and a 15th place finish in Atlanta, Hamlin started to pick up ground.
After a 6th place at Bristol, Denny Hamlin won his 4th Cup victory at Martinsville. Hamlin followed the win with 3 consecutive top 5s. Hamlin proved a bit streaky throughout the duration of the 2008 season. He ran quite a number of very good races, while having his schedule peppered with a few disasters along the way. Going unto the Chase, Hamlin finished 3rd 3 times in a row at Bristol, Fontana and Richmond.
Hamlin finished the season with a positive streak- 3 top 5s in his final 5 starts. Overall,Denny was 8th in the points- making it 3 years of Cup driving and 3 top 12s.
As for his work in the Nationwide Series, Denny Hamlin posted an impressive line: 19 starts, 4 wins, 10 top 5s and 14 top 10s. The combined efforts of Hamlin and his teammates were instrumental in vaulting Toyota to respectability.
What will become of Denny Hamlin’s 2009 season? Will he step up to the mantle of leadership? Observers were unsure of how well the likes of Stewart, Busch and Hamlin would co-exist, and it didn’t go too badly at all.
I know one thing for sure: with his track record, I wouldn’t go doubting Denny Hamlin.
PHOTO CREDITS- (Top Hamlin photo and Hamlin in firesuit by psltt. Hamlin car photo by keithcoleman studios. More of their photography may be found at flickr.com)
* Nearly every source lists Chesterfield as Hamlin’s “home town.” At least two online sources list Tampa, FL as his birthplace. We’ll go with this for now. Thank you “Leigh” for making me aware of this. Like you say, it’s a minor detail, BUT I strive for 100% accuracy. Thanks. JMc.
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I believe Denny was born in Tampa FL, not Chesterfield. This was confirmed to me by a Richmond sportswriter. A search brings mixed results. He is often referred to as a “native of Virginia.” Not important, but accuracy would be appreciated. Can you find out for sure?
@Leigh. I have found sufficient evidence to suggest Tampa, FL as his birthplace. The correction has been made. Every source I typically use for driver profiles mention Chesterfield s his “hometown” (for which there is no dispute) but until you mentioned it, I had never been aware of Hamlin’s Florida birth.
Thanks for the “heads up.” I’ve changed it.