Driver Spotlight: Denny Hamlin (Preseason Addition)

Denny Hamlin 2014 Preview

By Richard Tix

Well on the third installment of the preseason driver spotlight Nascar Behind the Wall will take a look at Denny Hamlin. In 2013 Denny Hamlin started his 8th season as a full time Cup driver with high hopes of finally competing for a Cup Title.  Every season prior Denny Hamlin had made the Chase and no one in Nascar thought he would miss it in 2013, but then something crazy happened.


Nascar headed to Fontana and Denny Hamlin had a typical weekend, actually he started the weekend on a great note after winning the Pole. In the weeks leading up, back and forth Twitter banter with Joey Logano had heated up to on track racing which as a fan of racing was great to see.  While running for front spots Denny and Joey were racing hard and it ended with Denny heading towards the infield wall in a brutal accident. That accident left Denny out of his car for the next four races and killing his Chase chances. Denny got back in his car, possibly before he was ready, and still tried his hardest to get back into the race for the Chase but things just didn't work out.

Fast forward to the last race of the 2013 season. Most of the spotlight is on Jimmie Johnson and if he can finish off his 6th Cup Title at Homestead.  Not only had DH made the Sprint Cup Chase every year of his career, but he had also won a race every year. He entered Homestead still winless in 2013 but ended up winning and continuing his win streak. Yet, all the attention was obviously (and for good reason) on JJ and his 6-Peat.

So as we close the chapter on 2013 and the season that Denny Hamlin wants to forget, we move onto 2014 and the season that Hamlin can not wait to start.  This season DH hopes to be the headline for all the right reasons. He is ready to go and as motivated as ever. It will be interesting to see how he handles his first season after a down year. Will he bounce right back like nothing ever happened? Or will he still have some bumps in the road along the way?  Maybe this is what DH needed to finally cross that line into a true contender and win his first Championship.

Contact me on Twitter and let me know what you think! Will Hamlin bounce right back? Should other drivers worry that he could once again dominate? Will he finally make a run at a Title? Will his feud with JoLo start back up now that he is fully healthy or is that just a thing of the past? And will he win another in 2014 to keep his streak going?

Let me know what you think and lets continue the count down to Daytona.