A yr after the Remaining 4 format denied him that elusive NASCAR Cup Collection championship, Denny Hamlin enters the primary yr of the second iteration of the Chase for the Championship as the favourite.
He’s two months away from his forty sixth birthday and 14 months away from his meant retirement. Subsequent yr isn’t a assure and this very properly may very well be his final likelihood to win the lacking championship that he has tried to not let outline him.
“It could imply so much personally, but it surely additionally if I give up at the moment, I am nonetheless actually proud of the stats we had been capable of placed on the stat sheet and the wins that we have been capable of get,” stated Hamlin on Wednesday at media day for The Chase. “It definitely can be very gratifying, however what issues to me is my dad noticed me after I was at my very best, and that was at Phoenix final yr.”
That story has been well-documented. Dennis Hamlin was within the midst of a terminal sickness and his son put all the things he had into the pursuit of that championship race. He received the pole and was three laps away from successful the title when a warning got here out and the crown was misplaced on a green-white-checkered.
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Hamlin the senior died in a home hearth a month later and the playoff format wouldn’t see the subsequent yr both. Hamlin has 4 wins this yr, earned the common season championship, and enters this new format with a 25-point benefit over Ryan Blaney and 35 over Tyler Reddick.
There are 16 drivers general with every seed having a five-point larger deficit. The driving force with probably the most factors after 10 races wins the championship.
There’s one apparent constructive to this format for the favourite.
“I believe that being a favourite in years previous, you at all times know this factor goes to come back right down to a freaking green-white-checkered within the closing race, and that is how they’ll resolve a championship,” Hamlin stated. “I believe now it is like the larger physique of labor usually bodes properly for Denny Hamlin. It simply at all times has.
“You give me extra of a pattern dimension, and we’ll show that we’re the most effective over a protracted time frame. I believe that that is what our followers must give attention to is that simply it is a marathon, not a dash.”
Alternatively, Hamlin can’t pour his total self into one single race like he did final yr after being the primary driver to lock into the four-driver, winner-take-all championship race.
“I believe it is more durable, I actually do,” Hamlin stated. “It’s just because there not going to be any alternative for me to take two weeks off and research for one racetrack. It isn’t bodily doable.
“Now, there’s a chance for me to spend somewhat bit extra time on these final 10, which I’ll do however it can by no means attain the depths during which I labored for Phoenix final yr. It is simply just because there isn’t any weekends to take off.
“Possibly Talladega as a result of there’s probably not a lot setting-up that goes into that one. That is why I stated I by no means may think about going by means of that course of once more that I went by means of making ready for that one race.”
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A number of variations of the Chase for the Championship was used from 2004 to 2013 however this one is totally different as a result of it is going to be the primary to include stage factors. Within the earlier model, all the things got here right down to ending place, however this format will higher mirror the general efficiency over 10 races.
There are such a lot of factors obtainable in every race that even a decrease seeded driver could make up floor by maximizing stage factors after which successful a race — which itself carries 20 extra factors than ending second.
“It is going come right down to first qualifying, then, then it is the phases, proper,” Hamlin stated. “So, there for some time in the course of the summer time after we had quite a lot of stage factors, it is as a result of we had been qualifying rather well.
“And I do suppose that we simply went by means of what I imagine was our roughest patch of tracks and we nonetheless have been actually, actually, good. So, if we will simply preserve our good finishes going, we’ll proceed to be good on the metric. We will proceed to qualify properly. So I believe it may be all in regards to the execution that occurs the day earlier than the race that’s going to result in stage factors.”
Solely Hamlin and Joey Logano have raced within the Chase for the Championship, one thing he doesn’t even suppose issues this yr, and he’s curious to see how this model of the format modifications how the races play out.
“I am trying ahead to seeing the place we’re at 5 races in,” Hamlin stated. “And to suppose that 5 races in, that is over a month from now, and we’re nonetheless simply going to be midway. I believe everybody’s going to comprehend fairly rapidly it is a lot totally different format than what we have had previously.
“We will see quite a lot of issues that we expect are big moments, and so they could be looking back while you look again. However we can’t know them till the season’s achieved in Homestead.”
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Watch: Race Rewind: Preece wins his approach into The Chase at Daytona
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