Behind the Wall: Denny Hamlin

Showing posts with label Denny Hamlin. Show all posts

Thursday, December 8, 2016

2016 NASCAR Driver Spotlight Review: Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin 2016 Review

By Richard Tix

2016 Preview Article

Season Grade: B

Season Preview: "After Denny's injury in 2013 it has been a slow climb back to the caliber he was at before it. Some of that was Denny, and some of that has been the season long power of JGR. In 2016 I think he continues his jump back to the old Denny once again. That means 3-4 wins, 12-14 top 5's, and 18-20 top 10's with a chance to notch his highest ever top 10 mark (currently it is 20). I do think Denny will be one of the top drivers of 2016 and will be a favorite heading into the Chase."

Season Review: Denny Hamlin made me look like a smart man (or one who can predict easy scenerios) by notching his highest top 10 amount of his career in 2016 (22). Even after a career best 22 top 10's and a career best 11.8 average finish it still seems like Hamlin had more in the tank while coming up short.

When I think about Hamlin's year it seems underwhelming like he didn't have a great year. But then, you take a look at the statistics he laid out and realize he put up some pretty decent numbers minus being a winning car each week (three wins but not always the fastest car week to week). First off, he won the 2016 Daytona 500 and put himself in the Chase after race one. Then he posted three wins, 12 top 5's, and 22 top 10's, which are solid numbers. He also ended the year with 17 top 15's and 15 top 10's in the last 18 races (which included seven top 5's and two wins).

He did all of this while enduring a ton of self inflicted pain in the form of speeding penalties (seriously, like a million penalties on pit road). I mean, has anyone had more in the last five years then Denny has?

Hamlin still missed out on Homestead at the end of the day while JGR teammates Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch advance, but Hamlin does have some building blocks to start with for next season and he can officially start his Daytona countdown. However, the rest of us can't because we do not work in NASCAR, are not part of a NASCAR team, or a driver.....

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Friday, January 22, 2016

2016 NASCAR Driver Spotlight Preview: Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin 2016 Preview

By Richard Tix

2015 Review

Denny Hamlin Career Paint Schemes

The way the new Chase works you can actually have a better overall season by a long shot and still not make the final four like you did the season prior. Just ask Denny Hamlin all about that. In 2014 he may have been the least deserving of a final four spot in the final.

In 2015 he doubled his top 5's (7 to 14) while also notching more wins (1 to 2) and top 10's (18 to 20 total). However, he ran into the trouble late at Dega that locked in the fate of many drivers and it left him short of the next round.

In 2016 he will look to mix the results of getting to Miami from 2014, with the quality all around season of 2015 to make a complete season and possibly help JGR win back to back Championships.

Bold Predictions/2016 Season Expectations:

After Denny's injury in 2013 it has been a slow climb back to the caliber he was at before it. Some of that was Denny, and some of that has been the season long power of JGR. In 2016 I think he continues his jump back to the old Denny once again. That means 3-4 wins, 12-14 top 5's, and 18-20 top 10's with a chance to notch his highest ever top 10 mark (currently it is 20). I do think Denny will be one of the top drivers of 2016 and will be a favorite heading into the Chase.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

2015 Driver Spotlight Review: Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin 2015 Review

By Richard Tix

2015 Preview

Season Grade: B

Season Preview: "After thinking 2014 would be a bounce back season it's almost a stretch to say it again, but I think Denny will get back to his ways pre injury. Now, I am not sure that will correlate into a appearance in the final four in Miami, but he will have a more consistent season and notch multiple wins."

Season Review: Well, I was almost right on with this prediction. Denny was by far more consistent than he was in 2014 but he couldn't get back to the Final Four like he did in the first season of the new Chase. Hamlin also notched multiple win's (two) just like I thought might happen in his bounce back 2015.

It was the first time he had multiple wins since 2012. Hamlin also had 14 top 5's and 20 top 10's (which tied a career high). The 2015 Hamlin was more like pre-injury Hamlin and was refreshing to see. 2015 was Denny Hamlin's best season since 2012 but he still finished 9th in points, which is more of a product of how the new Chase plays out.

Most of the season Hamlin found more success then 2014 and 2013 but in the end he still didn't have the Chase results he would have liked. A lot of that all came down to Talladega and the "Harvick incident." If it wasn't for that he most likely would have still moved on, but would have still ended up short of the Championship anyways. So, no looking back, it is now time to look forward.

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