Denny Hamlin - Wikipedia Denny Hamlin This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2017 ) Denny Hamlin Hamlin in 2015 James Dennis Alan Hamlin ( 1980 - 11 - 18 ) November 18, 1980 ( age 36 ) Chesterfield, Virginia Height 6 ft 0 in ( 1.83 m ) Weight 170 lb ( 77 kg ) Achievements 2016 Daytona 500 Winner 2015 Sprint All - Star Race Winner 2010, 2017 Southern 500 Winner 2008, 2014, 2017 Can - Am Duels Winner 2006, 2014, 2016 Sprint Unlimited Winner First rookie to qualify for Chase for the Sprint Cup ( 2006 ) Awards 2006 Nextel Cup Series Rookie of the Year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career 426 races run over 13 years Car no., team No. 11 ( Joe Gibbs Racing ) 2016 position 6th Best finish 2nd ( 2010 ) First race 2005 Banquet 400 ( Kansas ) Last race 2017 ISM Connect 300 ( Loudon ) First win 2006 Pocono 500 ( Pocono ) Last win 2017 Bojangles ' Southern 500 ( Darlington ) Wins Top tens Poles 31 211 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series career 158 races run over 14 years Car no., team No. 20 ( Joe Gibbs Racing ) 2016 position 89th Best finish 4th ( 2006 ) First race 2004 BI-LO 200 ( Darlington ) Last race 2017 VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 ( Darlington ) First win 2006 Telcel - Motorola 200 ( Mexico City ) Last win 2017 VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 ( Darlington ) Wins Top tens Poles 17 98 21 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career 16 races run over 9 years 2013 position 93rd Best finish 37th ( 2004 ) First race 2004 Power Stroke Diesel 200 ( IRP ) Last race 2013 Kroger 200 ( Martinsville ) First win 2011 Kroger 200 ( Martinsville ) Last win 2012 Kroger 200 ( Martinsville ) Wins Top tens Poles 10 Statistics current as of September 24, 2017. James Dennis Alan `` Denny '' Hamlin ( born November 18, 1980 ) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes full - time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, and part - time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 20 Camry for JGR. He has won 30 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 in 2016, where he also posted the smallest winning margin in that race 's history. Hamlin was born in Tampa, Florida, but lived in Chesterfield, Virginia for most of his childhood. He was born the youngest of five children. He began racing go - karts at the age of seven. Afterward, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract with Joe Gibbs Racing. After running briefly in the Craftsman Truck Series, Hamlin drove a full season in the Busch Series in 2005, while running a few Nextel Cup races. After having strong race finishes, Hamlin was given a full - time ride with JGR. His strongest season was in 2010, where he was leading the Championship by 15 points heading into the final race at Homestead. Despite having an incredible season, winning the most races of any driver in that year ( 8 ), he would lose the Championship by 39 points to Jimmie Johnson. With the exception of the 2013 season, in which a collision with Joey Logano damaged his lower back and kept him out for a large part of the early season, Hamlin has competed in the Chase for the NASCAR Cup in every season he has competed full - time ( 11 seasons as of 2016 ), including his rookie season in 2006 when he finished third in the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup standing, capping off one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in modern NASCAR history. Since his appearance in the Cup Series, Hamlin has been one of the most consistent drivers in the sport, winning at least one race every year since 2006. Contents 1 Racing career 1.1 Beginnings 1.2 NASCAR career 1.2. 1 2004 -- 2006 1.2. 2 2007 -- 2008 1.2. 3 2009 1.2. 4 2010 : Runner - up 1.2. 5 2011 1.2. 6 2012 1.2. 7 2013 1.2. 8 2014 1.2. 9 2015 1.2. 10 2016 1.2. 11 2017 2 Personal life 3 Motorsports career results 3.1 NASCAR 3.1. 1 Monster Energy Cup Series 3.1. 1.1 Daytona 500 3.1. 2 Xfinity Series 3.1. 3 Camping World Truck Series 3.2 ARCA Racing Series 4 References 5 External links Racing career This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2017 ) Beginnings Hamlin began his racing career in 1988, at the age of 7 years old, racing go - karts. By 1997 at 15, he won the WKA manufacturers cup. At the age of 16, he was racing Ministocks. In his first stock car race, at Langley Speedway, Hamlin won the pole position, and won the race. He then progressed to the Grand Stock division in 1998, and moved on to Late Model Stock Cars in 2000. In 2002, he won ten Late Model races, and surpassed that in 2003 with 25 wins, and 30 poles, out of 36 races. In 2004, while competing full - time in Late Model Stock Cars, Hamlin was signed to a driver development contract with Joe Gibbs Racing. NASCAR career Denny Hamlin 's No. 11 FedEx Chevy being inspected at the November 12, 2006 Checker Auto 500 2004 -- 2006 In 2004, Hamlin competed in five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ( now called the Camping World Truck Series ) races with EJP Racing, and had a tenth - place finish in his NASCAR debut at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He later ran his first career ARCA RE / MAX Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, finishing third in the No. 10 Pontiac owned by Andy Hillenburg. His final start of the year came at Darlington Raceway, when he made his Busch Series ( now called the Xfinity Series ) debut. He started twenty - seventh ( rain - out ) but finished eighth in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Driven Performance Oil Chevrolet. Hamlin ran the full season in 2005 after he replaced Mike Bliss in the No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet in the Busch Series. He ended up finishing 5th in the final championship points standings as a rookie in that series, with 11 top 10 's and earnings of $1,064,110.00. Hamlin also ran his first NASCAR Cup Series races in 2005, making his Cup debut at Kansas Speedway as driver of the No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet for the 2006 season, after Jason Leffler was released, and made seven starts in the Cup series in 2005. He finished the Cup season with three top 10 finishes in those seven starts and one pole at Phoenix International Raceway. His performance in 2005 was impressive, a stark contrast to Leffler 's embarrassingly poor performance during his tenure in the same car earlier in the season. In 2006, Hamlin ran his first full season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series ( now called the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ), and during the year he drove in both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series full - time. In Hamlin 's first restrictor plate race as a Nextel Cup driver, he beat all the previous year 's ( 2005 season ) pole winners in the 70 - lap 2006 Budweiser Shootout. Hamlin became the first Rookie of the Year candidate to take home the Shootout victory. Hamlin achieved his first career Busch Series victory at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez ( March 5 ). On June 11, Hamlin scored his first career Cup Series win at the Pocono 500, where he also won his second career pole. He achieved his second career win on July 23, in the Pennsylvania 500 also at Pocono Raceway becoming only the 2nd rookie in Nextel Cup history to sweep both races at a track during the same season ( Jimmie Johnson did so at Dover International Speedway in his rookie season in 2002 ), both from the pole position. In the Cup Series, Hamlin won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award and finished third in the final Cup standings, scoring the highest points finish for a rookie in the modern era of NASCAR, and the highest since James Hylton in 1966. Hamlin thus became the first ever rookie to make the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, which he finished third in points. 2007 -- 2008 2008 Nationwide car Hamlin practicing for the 2007 Ford 400 at the Homestead - Miami Speedway. Hamlin started the 2007 Cup season by finishing 28th in the Daytona 500. He won his third career Cup race at the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Following that race, Hamlin finished 43rd in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway after being involved in a wreck early on in the event. This was the first ever 43rd - place finish in his career. Hamlin clinched a spot in the Chase for the Cup and was seeded sixth, 50 points behind the leader, but finished 12th overall in the final standings. In the Nationwide Series, Hamlin scored three victories including Darlington, Michigan, and Dover in the No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevy. He also finished 1st at Milwaukee, but Aric Almirola started the car and ran 60 laps before turning it over to Denny Hamlin. Almirola received the points, purse, and got credit for the win. In 2008, Hamlin had a near identical season as before, but moved up to eighth in points, and won early in the season at Martinsville Speedway. He led 381 out of 410 laps in the 2008 Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400, the most dominant effort of a driver since 2000, but cut a tire and finished 24th. He won four races in the Nationwide Series, driving both the No. 18 and No. 20 entries for Gibbs, as well as the No. 32 Dollar General / Hass avocados car for Braun Racing. 2009 He continued driving the No. 11 car in Sprint Cup in 2009, as well as sharing the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series. Hamlin won his fifth Cup career race at Pocono Raceway on August 3, 2009. Hamlin boldly stated at the final restart `` I 'm going to win this race. '' He followed through on the statement, moving from sixth to first and snapping a 50 race win-less streak. The win was Hamlin 's third at Pocono. It was especially emotional for the No. 11 team as Hamlin had lost his grandmother, Thelma Clark, that Friday. Hamlin once again dominated the race at Richmond International Raceway and finally won at his home track. On October 25, 2009, Hamlin held off Jimmie Johnson to win the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. He went on to win the Ford 400 at the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Finale at Homestead - Miami Speedway, capping off his 2009 season 5th in the overall standings with 4 wins, 15 top 5 's and 20 top 10 's. Hamlin took the lead after starting the race in 38th position and he led a total of 70 laps to capture his 4th win of the 2009 season. 2010 : runner - up Hamlin in victory lane after winning the 2010 Air Guard 400 Hamlin entered the 2010 season with great expectations. Many believed he would be a favorite to unseat Jimmie Johnson as Sprint Cup Champion. On January 22, 2010, Hamlin tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing basketball. The decision was made to postpone his surgery until after the season. Hamlin announced on March 27, 2010, to have surgery on his left knee the following Monday. The decision was made to prevent further damage to his knee. On March 29, 2010, Hamlin won the rain - postponed race at Martinsville Speedway in wild fashion. He beat his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Joey Logano, and Jeff Gordon to the finish line. Two days later, Hamlin had knee surgery to repair the torn ligament in his left knee. On April 19, 2010, three weeks after his surgery, Hamlin worked his way from a 28th starting spot to restart 2nd with 13 laps to go at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin was later able to pass Jeff Burton on the outside and hold off Jimmie Johnson to get his 10th career win and his second win in three races. Less than three weeks later on May 8, Hamlin visited victory lane for the third time in 2010 at Darlington Raceway. He swept the weekend by winning both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series events. He became the first driver to do so at Darlington since Mark Martin in 1993. He won the Nationwide Series Royal Purple 200 presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts driving the No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing on Friday night. He started on the pole and led the most laps to win the race. Hamlin started 8th in Saturday night 's Showtime Southern 500 and went on to lead 108 laps and take the checkered flag. A few races later, Hamlin dominated at The Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Presented By Target at Pocono Raceway, leading the most laps on his way to gathering his 12th career win, his 4th win of the season, and his fourth win at Pocono. A week later, Hamlin set a career - high fifth win of the season, when he won at Michigan International Speedway after starting 7th. Later in the 2010 season, Hamlin finished 43rd in the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This dropped him five spots in the Chase standings, placing him in 10th overall. Despite the drop in the standings, the top 10 drivers in the Chase were locked in after Atlanta, guaranteeing Hamlin a spot in the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup. A driver error in the first Chase race on part of Carl Edwards caused Hamlin to spin with 85 to go. With cars ahead running out of fuel, Hamlin barely lost to Clint Bowyer. In the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway Hamlin finished the race in 9th and retained the points lead by 35 points over Jimmie Johnson. The following week at Kansas Speedway, Hamlin encountered a rough driving car and finished 12th, a finish that was not good enough to keep the points lead, and fell into a deficit of 8 points to Jimmie Johnson, who finished 2nd. Then the following week at California he finished in the top 10 but still lost points to the 48 car of Jimmie Johnson. At Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hamlin led a lap ( his first lead in the Chase ) and finished in 4th, one spot behind points leader Jimmie Johnson, and lost another 5 points. But the triumph came at the. 526 - mile ( paper clip - shaped ) Martinsville Speedway ; Hamlin came through with his series - leading seventh victory of the season. Hamlin won the pole and led the first 11 laps but encountered tire issues ; he dropped back to 17th and finally worked himself up consistently to 5th until lap 471 with 29 laps to go, he took the lead from Kevin Harvick and held off a hard - charging Mark Martin to lead the final 29 laps and take his 3rd straight victory at Martinsville and his 4th at the historic track. He closed the lead to 6 points behind points leader and 5th - place finisher, Jimmie Johnson. Next up was the Amp Energy Juice 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway. Hamlin started 17th, but fell back and lost the draft. He went a lap down, but when a caution came out, he got the Lucky Dog and was back on the lead lap. He then worked his way up to a 9th - place finish, two spots behind points leader Jimmie Johnson. This put Hamlin another 8 points behind in the standings, totaling to 14. Hamlin won the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, and then led the standings by 33 over Johnson with two races to go. Next was Phoenix International speedway. Hamlin started 14th but got up to the front right away and was leading for almost the whole race. With 14 laps to go, Hamlin had to pit because he was short on fuel. He finished 12th. After the race, Hamlin was furious and threw a water bottle in frustration. With one race to go, Hamlin led Johnson by 15 points and was 46 points ahead of Kevin Harvick. On the last race he lost the lead to Johnson and ended up 39 points behind him. 2011 FedEx Paint scheme In 2011 Hamlin almost won the Budweiser Shootout, but the victory was taken away from him by Kurt Busch because at the last second, Hamlin crossed the yellow line, on turn four to the finish line, in his attempt to pass Ryan Newman. Denny struggled in the first 8 races where his only top 10 was a seventh at Las Vegas. However, when the series got to Richmond, Denny turned on the heat by winning both his charity event and the Nationwide race but would finish 2nd to teammate Kyle Busch. He would go on to finish outside of the top 10 once at dover finishing in the top 20 and rebounded with finishes of 10th and 3rd at Charlotte and Kansas respectively. After his 3rd - place finish at Kansas, he would climb to 11th in points -- 1 point out of the coveted 10th as the series goes to his favorite track, Pocono, where he would have tied himself for the most all - time wins at the track, if he had placed first. After a disappointing 19th - place finish, he moved on to Michigan, a track at which he posted a 1st and 2nd - place finish in 2010. Before the first practice at Michigan, oil pans unapproved by NASCAR were confiscated from the three JGR teams, including Hamlin. After showing signs of sheer mediocrity during each practice and qualifying, Hamlin qualified 10th in the field. He showed signs of improvement at the very start of the race, Hamlin quickly slid back in the field and was in the 10th to 15th place range until beginning to improve with about 70 laps to go, deeming the adjustment on his loose race car `` a magic adjustment '' On lap 158, with 42 laps to go, a penalty caused by an accident between Juan Pablo Montoya and Andy Lally allowed Hamlin to move to the front of the field by short pitting. Another caution on lap 192 moved the 11 car up to the first position. After a restart, Hamlin surged to ahead of the group, with Matt Kenseth right behind him in the closing three laps. After desperately trying to move past Hamlin, Kenseth made a final attempt coming out of turn four on the final lap, causing him to almost hit the wall because of a loose racecar. This win vaulted Hamlin from 12th in the standings, where he would have been replaced in the chase by Jeff Gordon if each stayed in their current position, to 9th, where he is guaranteed a spot in the chase. At the end of the season Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Mike Ford would not return as Hamlin 's crew chief in 2012. 2012 Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Darian Grubb will be Mike Ford 's replacement as Hamlin 's crew chief for the 2012 season. Grubb previously served as crew chief for Tony Stewart, where he helped Stewart to his third Sprint Cup title in 2011. Hamlin scored his first win of the year in the second event on the schedule, at Phoenix International Raceway. On April 22, Hamlin out - dueled Martin Truex Jr. to score his second win in the eighth race of the year, at Kansas Speedway. At the Crown Royal Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard, Hamlin scored his eleventh pole. He won his third race of the year at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 26 in the Irwin Tools Night Race. A week later, he became the first driver of the year to have back - to - back wins, winning the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, again out - dueling Truex. Two weeks later, he dominated and won the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after starting 32nd, deep in the field. This was Joe Gibbs Racing 's 100th win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. 2013 Front / side view of Hamlin 's car Hamlin started the season on a low note, crashing his cars in both the Sprint Unlimited and the Budweiser Duel. The crash in the Duel put him into a backup car for the Daytona 500. Hamlin started 35th, led 33 laps, and finished 14th. He improved the following week, with a third - place finish at Phoenix, then a 15th - place finish at Las Vegas. He led the most laps at Bristol, but ran out of gas. Controversy unfolded after Hamlin spun his ex-teammate Joey Logano battling for position. This resulted in Hamlin and Logano exchanging words in the garage after the race. At Fontana, Hamlin won his first pole for 2013. On the final restart Hamlin restarted in 12th place and with 12 laps left Hamlin reached third place before passing Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch for the top 2 spots with Joey Logano. His rivalry with Logano continued as the two fought side - by - side for the win in the last two laps. Heading into turn 3 on the white flag lap, Hamlin edged in front at the entry, but Logano drifted up the track into Hamlin. In his attempt to correct the car, Hamlin tagged Logano, sending the latter up into the outside wall, while Hamlin came off the banking and smashed head - on into an inside retaining wall. Hamlin 's teammate Kyle Busch passed them to win the race. Although Hamlin climbed out of the car right after the crash, he immediately collapsed and lay on the track. He was airlifted to the hospital as a precaution. When lying in the hospital Hamlin interpreted Logano 's post race words about their battle as Logano saying that he held a grudge against Hamlin and retaliated against Hamlin. It was announced the next day that Hamlin had suffered a massive L1 compression fracture, or a collapsed vertebra. Dr. Petty, Hamlin 's JGR doctor reported on Tuesday that Hamlin 's back would heal in six weeks and Hamlin would need time off. Two of Michael Waltrip Racing 's Part - time drivers stepped in to replace Hamlin, with Mark Martin filling in at Martinsville and Brian Vickers filling in for four races. He made his return at Talladega in the Aaron 's 499, and told reporters that since he was not ready to run a full race, he would switch with Brian Vickers during the first caution and pit stop by a special exit on the roof attached to the car. Like planned, during a caution, Hamlin switched out with Vickers on lap 23. Under NASCAR rules, since Hamlin started the race, he would receive credit for any results. Vickers got caught up in a 14 car wreck on lap 43, relegating the car to a 34th - place finish. At Darlington, Hamlin drove his first full race since his injury. He qualified sixth. In the waning laps, he held off Jeff Gordon to finish second to teammate Matt Kenseth. At Charlotte, for the Coca - Cola 600, Hamlin clinched a pole position with a record speed of 195.624 miles per hour ( 314.826 km / h ), breaking the previous speed of 193.708 miles per hour ( 311.743 km / h ) set by Greg Biffle. During the race, Hamlin led six laps and finished in the fourth position. At Dover, Hamlin started on the pole for the second week in a row. He led 41 laps before he cut a tire on lap 378 and hit the wall, causing him to finish 34th. At Pocono Hamlin started in 17th and finished in 8th place. He had shown some recovery. At Michigan, Sonoma and Kentucky, Hamlin did not fare well. Finishing in 30th, 23rd and 35th place. He only got up to 25th in the points standings and 150 points behind 20th place. Without any wins, his chances of making a Wildcard bid for the Chase were nixed. At Daytona, Hamlin started 24th and led 20 laps, before he got into a wreck off of turn 4 with Juan Pablo Montoya and Martin Truex Jr... Hamlin stayed on the track, a lap down, and got the free pass with the next caution. However, on lap 148, Hamlin hit the tri-oval wall head on and then his car was struck by A.J. Allmendinger and went airborne. He wrecked at Pocono on Lap 15 after losing control of his car in the third turn and solidified his chances of missing the Chase for the first time in his career ( He ran 7 races in 2005 but his first appearance was at a Chase race ). At Michigan, he was officially eliminated from the Chase even if he won the next four races because he was too far back in the points. At Richmond Denny Hamlin got an apology from Joey Logano for their Auto Club incident with Logano after months of denial admitting it was on purpose but Hamlin did not buy the apology, thinking that Logano was just doing it to ask Hamlin to not interfere with his own title hopes. Despite this Hamlin and Logano said they settled their differences by December. Though Hamlin struggled to a 23rd - place points finish, the season was not entirely unkind to him, as he won the season finale at Homestead after a fierce battle with Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. over the last 30 laps. 2014 Hamlin started the 2014 season strong by winning the pole and leading all three segments of the Sprint Unlimited, eventually winning the race. Hamlin then went on to win the second of the Budweiser Duels. In the Daytona 500, Hamlin started third and led for 16 laps, and was the fan favorite to win the race and sweep all three Sprint Cup events in Speedweeks, but was unable to overtake Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the last two laps and ended up finishing second. At Auto Club, Hamlin came down with a sinus infection that affected his vision just hours before the race began. A half - hour before the green flag, Joe Gibbs Racing managed to place Sam Hornish, Jr. to take over Hamlin 's car for the race. Hornish drove the car to a 17th - place finish. The infection was announced a few days later as a piece of metal that had been lodged in Hamlin 's eye. At Talladega, Hamlin won the race as the caution flag waved during the last lap. At the Brickyard 400, Hamlin finished 3rd. However his 11 car failed post-race inspection. NASCAR impounded the 11 car and investigated various pieces on it. 2 days later NASCAR suspended crew chief Darian Grubb for six rasces, fined Grubb $125,000, docked Hamlin 75 driver points and Joe Gibbs 75 owner points, suspended 11 car chief Wesley Sherrill and put the 11 team members on probation until December 31, 2014. Initially Joe Gibbs and the team decided to appeal the penalties but they changed their minds. On the penalty Denny said `` We 'll just simply move forward and not let this affect our performances. '' Despite the penalties handed to Hamlin 's crew, Denny Hamlin is locked into in the 2014 Chase due to his win at Talladega Superspeedway. Hamlin 's spot in the 2014 Chase was sealed up after the 2014 Michigan race with his Talladega win. At Bristol, Hamlin appeared to have a perfect car to win but after leading many laps Hamlin wrecked after contact from Kevin Harvick while racing for the lead. Hamlin replied by angrily throwing his HANS device at Harvick 's car during a caution period. Some fans wondered if NASCAR should have penalized Hamlin for exiting his car before the safety workers came out ( a rule made by NASCAR in the wake of the big tragedy in which Tony Stewart 's car ran over and killed Sprint - Car driver Kevin Ward Jr. ) but NASCAR did not penalize Hamlin, stating that safety workers first had told Hamlin to get out of the car by radio & then gave Hamlin permission to toss his HANS device at Harvick 's car. Harvick later apologized for causing the crash via Twitter while Hamlin said his acceptance of Harvick 's apology would only depend on how clean Harvick would compete with him in the future. Despite he and his team 's shortcomings throughout the regular season, Hamlin managed to put together a consistent Chase. His results earned him a spot within the final four title contenders heading to the final round, and he was leading the race and the title with twenty laps to go, but a caution came out and Darian Grubb, his crew chief, decided to opt out of stopping for fresh tires and fuel, which would turn out to be a costly decision. He finished 7th in the race, and 3rd in the championship. 2015 Hamlin led with 11 laps remaining in the 2015 Daytona 500. Hamlin at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 300 Hamlin started the season by having to go to the rear in the Budweiser Duels after being penalized during Daytona 500 qualifying. In the Daytona 500 he came very close for the second year in a row to winning the race. He finished 4th and had one of the best cars of Speedweeks. However, at Atlanta, Hamlin finished 38th after being involved in a wreck with 42 laps to go. In Las Vegas, he rebounded from his wreck the previous week and finished 5th. However, at Phoenix, Hamlin did not run well all day leading to a 24th - place finish. At California, Hamlin had one of the best cars of the race, leading 56 laps, second to Kurt Busch 's 61 laps. A bad pit stop and bad ensuing restart pushed Hamlin down to 13th, but he rebounded to 3rd place with 20 laps to go. Hamlin 's chances of winning the race ended when he and his crew were penalized for an uncontrolled tire on their pit stop with 20 laps to go making him go to the tail end of the longest line. He restarted 29th and finished the race 28th. At Martinsville Speedway, Hamlin stayed up in the top ten nearly all race long. Late in the race he got penalized for an uncontrolled tire, sending him to the tail end of the field in 31st place. Despite this he formed a tremendous comeback, coming back into the top ten 50 laps later. After a good restart with less than 30 laps to go, Denny Hamlin sealed up his victory, but not before holding off a challenge by rival Brad Keselowski. Hamlin edged Keselowski at the stripe by 0.3 seconds ( 1 car - length ), for his 5th Martinsville victory, leading 91 laps in total. Hamlin, who had feuded with Keselowski during the 2014 Bank of America 500, commended Keselowski for not wrecking him to win the race. At the spring Bristol race, Hamlin was replaced by Erik Jones after 22 laps due to suffering from neck spasms. In May, Hamlin won the Sprint All - Star Race after beating Keselowski off pit road during final pit stops. This was not only Hamlin 's first All - Star win, but also the first JGR and Toyota All - Star wins. After qualifying for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Hamlin won the first race of the Chase at Chicagoland Speedway, which locked him in for the second round of the Chase. At Talladega in the next round, at the end of the race his car crashed and caught fire because of being caught up in `` The Big One '', which eliminated him from the Chase for not having enough points to advance. 2016 With new crew chief Mike Wheeler replacing Dave Rogers, Hamlin won the Sprint Unlimited. In the Daytona 500, Hamlin made a pass on Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth for the lead on the final lap. Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. were side - by - side for the win as they crossed the start - finish line, but Hamlin -- who led a race - high 95 laps -- prevailed by 0.011 seconds over Truex, making it the closest Daytona 500 finish in history, and bringing owner Joe Gibbs his first Daytona 500 victory since 1993. After his huge Daytona 500 win he struggled a bit, the next week at Atlanta he was n't as strong finishing 16th. The next week at Las Vegas he would finish outside of the top 10 again finishing 19th. The next week at Phoenix he would rebound with a strong 3rd - place finish. The next week at Auto Club he would have another strong 3rd - place finish. The next week at Martinsville he was running well till he wrecked after jumping the curb and slamming into the wall and he would finish 39th. The next week at Texas he would finish 12th. The next week at Bristol he would wreck again finishing 20th. The next week at Richmond he would get a solid top 10 finish finishing 6th. The next week at Talladega he would be involved in a wreck yet again finishing 31st. The next week at Kansas he would be involved in back to back wrecks finishing 37th. The next week at Dover was involved in a wreck 3 weeks in a row after there was a botched restart when Jimmie Johnson missed a shift, but would bounce back to finish 7th. At the next weekend in Charlotte, Hamlin ran double duty, driving car number 20 to the win, the 15th Xfinity Series race of his career in his first Xfinity start of the season. In the Cup race, he would run great all race long and would finish with a solid 4th - place finish, while his Toyota teammate Martin Truex Jr. would dominate the race and win. The next week at Pocono he would finish get a solid top 15 finishing 14th. The next week at Michigan, he cut his left - rear tire at the start - finish line, resulting in a disappointing 33rd. The next week at Sonoma, Hamlin would lead the most laps but Tony Stewart would get the lead later after staying out and on the final lap Hamlin would pass Stewart but in the final corner Hamlin would wheel hop and hit the wall giving Stewart back the lead and Stewart would go onto to win and get his first win since 2013. The next week coming back to Daytona, Hamlin would finish 17th. The next week at Kentucky, it would come down to fuel and Hamlin would finish 15th. The next week at New Hampshire, he would finish 9th. The next week at Indy, he would finish 4th. The next week at Pocono, he would finish 7th. The next week at Watkins Glen, Hamlin would run well and get the lead later in the race and after a couple of red flags, he would go on to win getting his 2nd win of the season since the Daytona 500. The next week at Bristol he would finish 3rd after a couple of big wrecks at the end. The next week at Michigan, he would finish 9th. Hamlin would pick up his third win of the season at Richmond in September. 2017 Hamlin at the 2017 Daytona 500 Hamlin had a difficult start to the 2017 season, in which there were many changes to how the races are run ( the biggest change being the all - new stage racing ). Hamlin picked up an 8th place finish in Stage 1 of the Daytona 500 but got caught up in one of several ' Big Ones ' at the end of Stage 2, caused by a tire blowout on the No. 18 Toyota Camry of Kyle Busch, and would finish the race in 17th. A dismal race in Atlanta followed, with Hamlin retiring from mechanical failures, and he was classified 38th. However, he bounced back in Las Vegas with a sixth place finish, and followed this up with another top - 10 result in Phoenix. In the STP 500 at Martinsville, a track on which Hamlin is a 5 - time winner, he claimed 2nd place in Stage 1, before suffering from firstly a bad pit strategy and then a collision with Danica Patrick, finishing 30th in the race. Hamlin 's Toyota began to improve dramatically after a mediocre Texas race and, through combining the new - found speed of his JGR car and his limitless talent on short tracks, earned two 8th - place finishes in stages 1 and 2 at Bristol and led a dozen or so laps of the race late on, but was passed by Jimmie Johnson in the final stage and subsequently fell back to finish 10th. He also led 50 laps at his home track at Richmond ( also a short track ), superbly jumping Brad Keselowski from 2nd place at the 6th restart, and would earn a 3rd place finish in the race, along with stage points from both stages. Hamlin 's unique skills on restrictor - plate tracks shone through at Talladega Superspeedway the following week. He used pit strategy to take his first stage win of the year in stage 2, and also led more laps than any other driver, but this was n't enough to get his first win, as he fell back late in the race. He took his second stage win of the year in Stage 3 of the Coca - Cola 600 in Charlotte and led the last 10 laps of that stage. However, Hamlin restarted poorly from the front and fell back to 10th on the first lap of the final stage. He would recover and work his way through the field, finishing 5th and earning valuable points in the standings. Hamlin during qualifying for the 2017 Toyota / Save Mart 350 Hamlin earned a respectable 8th place finish at a wreck - filled Dover despite getting busted for an uncontrolled tire in Stage 1, and subsequently ran well at Pocono, finishing 12th after falling back late. At Michigan, Hamlin finished 4th after a tense battle with Kyle Larson on the final restart. He then returned to the road course at Sonoma, the scene of his duel with Tony Stewart in 2016 where he was passed on the last corner of the last lap. He led 12 laps during Stage 2 and remained in the top 2 throughout most of the race but he lost grip in his tires towards the end, losing 2nd to Clint Bowyer with 6 laps to go and then 3rd to Brad Keselowski on the final lap, just before the caution waved to end the race after Kasey Kahne crashed on the front straight. He finished 4th, adding to his 5th and 4th places in the two stages earlier in the race. At Daytona the following week, Hamlin had a very quick car, leading 16 laps during Stage 2 and finishing a very close 2nd to teammate Matt Kenseth in that stage. However, Hamlin 's Coke Zero 400 race on the 4th of July weekend ended in frustration as he suffered only his second retirement of the year. Hamlin got caught up in a 3 - car incident with 3 laps to go, while running 7th. He tried to get moving again before the car erupted into flames, ending his evening. The next race in Kentucky brought another consistent top - 5 weekend, finishing 4th and 5th in the stages and 4th overall, but it was the following week that Hamlin finally broke through. He came from 8th on the grid - finishing every stage in the top 10 ( 9th and 2nd ) to then lead 52 laps on his way to victory in New Hampshire. This win marked Hamlin 's 30th NASCAR Cup Series win, his 3rd career Cup victory at Loudon and JGR 's first win of 2017. A dismal Indianapolis race followed, with a 17th place finish after a blown tire in overtime cost him a top - 5 result. However, Hamlin got back into the top 5 yet again this season at the Overton 's 400 in Pocono. The race became all about 4 drivers, as he battled with Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick throughout. Hamlin would end up finishing 4th after leading 18 laps and looking like a real contender to win his second race of the season. Busch went to victory lane, ensuring everyone that JGR were back up to their regular speed. Hamlin continued adding to his impressive amount of top - 5 finishes for 2017 the following week, finishing 4th at Watkins Glen, the scene of his first road course victory of his career the year before. Heading into the next race at Michigan, Hamlin 's long - time partner Jordan Fish had reached the end of her pregnancy, and their baby was due at any point. Due to this, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Christopher Bell ran laps in Hamlin 's no. 11 Toyota in practice as preparation to step into the car, in the event that Hamlin 's girlfriend would go into labour during the weekend. She did not, however, as Hamlin finished the race in 16th due to a bold strategy by the team to stay out on old tires until a caution flew, which did not happen as planned ; he pitted just 11 laps from the end, and the caution he needed flew 2 laps later. Hamlin earned himself a 3rd - place finish at the Night Race at Bristol after a very consistent run. The following week, at Darlington, Hamlin dominated both the Xfinity and Cup races. He outdueled Joey Logano in the Xfinity race on Saturday, using the crossover move on the last corner to cut underneath him and win. In the Cup race, Hamlin 's ' Flying 11 ' was the most consistent and fastest car on track. After leading 124 laps out of the 367 lap event, he drove on to victory and would get his 2nd win of the season despite a pit road mistake late in the race. However, his car would fail post race inspection in both races after NASCAR discovered an illegal rear suspension element. Hamlin 's wins would be ruled `` encumbered '' and he was docked 25 points as a result. His crew chief Mike Wheeler was fined $50,000 and suspended for 2 races. The final race of the regular season at Richmond provided yet another top 5 for the # 11 car, but it could have been better. Kyle Larson won the race after besting Martin Truex Jr. in overtime, but on the final lap Hamlin attempted to pass Truex for 2nd and slid his tyres, collecting Truex and putting him into the outside wall. Hamlin recovered to finish 5th and later apologised to the 2017 regular season champion. The playoffs began very well for Hamlin as he added another top 5 to his amazingly consistent run of late, finishing 4th. This meant that his average finish of 6th over the last 10 races was the best in the field, and put him in an excellent spot going into the 2nd playoff race at New Hampshire, a race that Hamlin won in the summer and has won 3 times overall in his career. Personal life Engine of Hamlin 's Toyota Hamlin and his girlfriend Jordan Fish have a daughter together, Taylor James Hamlin, born on January 20, 2013. Just before the start of the 2017 season at the Daytona 500, it was announced that the couple are expecting their second child. In 2016, Hamlin was a Fox NASCAR guest analyst for the Xfinity Series race at Talladega. A year later, he returned to Fox for the Cup drivers - only broadcast of the Xfinity race at Pocono, working in the Hollywood Hotel studio alongside Danica Patrick. Hamlin, along with his Toyota teammates, recorded video clips on how to drive a lap at all of the NASCAR tracks on the 2016 circuit to appear on the upcoming video game NASCAR Heat Evolution. He is also featured as one of eight playable drivers on the EA Sports NASCAR Racing arcade game, the only rookie to be featured in the game. Motorsports career results NASCAR ( key ) ( Bold -- Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics -- Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * -- Most laps led. ) Monster Energy Cup Series Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 MENCC Pts 2005 Joe Gibbs Racing 11 Chevy DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL DAR RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV TAL KAN 32 CLT 8 MAR 8 ATL 19 TEX 7 PHO 13 HOM 33 41st 806 2006 DAY 30 CAL 12 LVS 10 ATL 31 BRI 14 MAR 37 TEX PHO 34 TAL 22 RCH DAR 10 CLT 9 DOV 11 POC MCH 12 SON 12 DAY 17 CHI 14 NHA 6 POC IND 10 GLN 10 MCH 9 BRI 6 CAL 6 RCH 15 NHA DOV 9 KAN 18 TAL 21 CLT 28 MAR ATL 8 TEX 10 PHO HOM 3rd 6407 2007 DAY 28 CAL 11 LVS ATL 19 BRI 14 MAR TEX 9 PHO TAL 21 RCH DAR CLT 9 DOV POC 6 MCH 14 SON 10 NHA DAY 43 CHI 17 IND 22 POC GLN MCH 5 BRI 43 CAL 19 RCH 6 NHA 15 DOV 38 KAN 29 TAL CLT 20 MAR 6 ATL 24 TEX 29 PHO 16 HOM 12th 6143 2008 Toyota DAY 17 CAL 41 LVS 9 ATL 15 BRI 6 MAR TEX 5 PHO TAL RCH 24 DAR 7 CLT 24 DOV 43 POC MCH 14 SON 27 NHA 8 DAY 26 CHI 40 IND POC 23 GLN 8 MCH 39 BRI CAL RCH NHA 9 DOV 38 KAN 11 TAL 39 CLT 16 MAR 5 ATL TEX 17 PHO 5 HOM 13 8th 6214 2009 DAY 26 CAL 6 LVS 22 ATL 13 BRI MAR TEX 12 PHO 6 TAL 22 RCH 14 DAR 13 CLT 11 DOV 36 POC 38 MCH SON 5 NHA 15 DAY CHI 5 IND 34 POC GLN 10 MCH 10 BRI 5 ATL 6 RCH NHA DOV 22 KAN 5 CAL 37 CLT 42 MAR TAL 38 TEX PHO HOM 5th 6335 DAY 17 CAL 29 LVS 19 ATL 21 BRI 19 MAR PHO 30 TEX TAL RCH 11 DAR DOV CLT 18 POC MCH SON 34 NHA 14 DAY 24 CHI 8 IND 15 POC 5 GLN 37 MCH BRI 34 ATL 43 RCH NHA DOV 9 KAN 12 CAL 8 CLT MAR TAL 9 TEX PHO 12 HOM 14 2nd 6583 2011 DAY 21 PHO 11 LVS 7 BRI 33 CAL 39 MAR 12 TEX 15 TAL 23 RCH DAR 6 DOV 16 CLT 10 KAN POC 19 MCH SON 37 DAY 13 KEN 11 NHA IND 27 POC 15 GLN 36 MCH 35 BRI 7 ATL 8 RCH 9 CHI 31 NHA 29 DOV 18 KAN 16 CLT 9 TAL 8 MAR 5 TEX 20 PHO 12 HOM 9 9th 2284 2012 DAY PHO LVS 20 BRI 20 CAL 11 MAR 6 TEX 12 KAN RCH TAL 23 DAR CLT DOV 18 POC 5 MCH 34 SON 35 KEN DAY 25 NHA IND 6 POC 29 GLN 34 MCH 11 BRI ATL 1 * RCH 18 * CHI 16 NHA 1 * DOV 8 TAL 14 CLT KAN 13 MAR 33 TEX 20 PHO HOM 24 6th 2329 2013 DAY 14 PHO LVS 15 BRI 23 CAL 25 MAR TEX KAN RCH TAL 34 DAR CLT DOV 34 POC 8 MCH 30 SON 23 KEN 35 DAY 36 NHA 21 IND 18 POC 43 GLN 19 MCH 20 BRI 28 ATL 38 RCH 21 CHI 33 NHA 12 DOV 20 KAN 23 CLT 9 TAL 38 MAR 7 TEX 7 PHO 28 HOM 23rd 753 2014 DAY PHO 19 LVS 12 BRI 6 CAL INQ MAR 19 TEX 13 DAR 19 RCH 22 TAL KAN 18 CLT 22 DOV 5 POC MCH 29 SON 26 KEN 42 DAY 6 NHA 8 IND POC 9 GLN 24 MCH 7 BRI 40 ATL RCH 21 CHI 6 NHA 37 DOV 12 KAN 7 CLT 9 TAL 18 MAR 8 TEX 10 PHO 5 HOM 7 3rd 5037 2015 DAY ATL 38 LVS 5 PHO 23 CAL 28 MAR TEX 11 BRI 26 RCH 22 TAL 9 KAN 41 CLT 8 DOV 21 POC 10 MCH 11 SON 18 DAY KEN NHA 14 IND 5 POC 22 GLN 27 MCH 5 BRI DAR RCH 6 CHI NHA DOV 18 CLT KAN TAL 37 MAR TEX 38 PHO 8 HOM 10 9th 2327 2016 DAY 1 * ATL 16 LVS 19 PHO CAL MAR 39 TEX 12 BRI 20 RCH 6 TAL 31 KAN 37 DOV 7 CLT POC 14 MCH 33 SON 2 * DAY 17 KEN 15 NHA 9 IND POC 7 GLN BRI MCH 9 DAR RCH CHI 6 NHA 15 DOV 9 CLT 30 KAN 15 TAL MAR TEX 9 PHO 7 HOM 9 6th 2320 2017 DAY 17 ATL 38 LVS 6 PHO 10 CAL 14 MAR 30 TEX 25 BRI 10 RCH TAL 11 KAN 23 CLT 5 DOV 8 POC 12 MCH SON DAY 24 KEN NHA IND 17 POC GLN MCH 16 BRI DAR 1 * RCH 5 CHI NHA 12 DOV CLT TAL KAN MAR TEX PHO HOM - * - * - Qualified but replaced by Sam Hornish Jr. Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 2006 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 17 30 2007 9 28 2008 Toyota 17 2009 10 26 25 17 2011 18 21 2012 31 2013 35 14 2014 2015 42 2016 11 1 * 2017 17 Xfinity Series NASCAR Xfinity Series results Year Team No. Make 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 NXSC Pts Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Chevy DAY CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX NSH TAL CAL GTY RCH NZH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA PPR IRP MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM ATL PHO DAR 8 HOM 103rd 142 2005 20 DAY 33 CAL 18 MXC 15 LVS 12 ATL 16 NSH 9 BRI 9 TEX 14 PHO 11 TAL 28 DAR 7 RCH 13 CLT 20 DOV 24 NSH 7 KEN 15 MLW 6 DAY 14 CHI 15 NHA PPR 14 GTY 11 IRP 6 GLN 33 MCH 8 BRI 13 CAL 20 RCH 34 DOV 6 KAN 12 CLT 30 MEM 7 TEX 19 PHO 9 HOM 37 5th 4143 2006 DAY 14 CAL 10 MXC 1 * LVS 6 ATL 38 BRI TEX 10 NSH 3 * PHO 39 TAL 30 RCH 10 DAR CLT 29 DOV 7 NSH KEN MLW DAY 30 CHI 14 NHA MAR GTY 3 * IRP 8 GLN 12 MCH 6 BRI 22 CAL 15 RCH 6 DOV 40 KAN 33 CLT 8 MEM 6 TEX 8 PHO HOM 4th 4667 2007 DAY 9 CAL 8 MXC LVS 12 ATL BRI NSH TEX PHO TAL RCH 41 DAR CLT 34 DOV NSH KEN MLW NHA 5 DAY CHI 7 GTY IRP CGV GLN 14 MCH BRI CAL RCH 7 DOV KAN 6 CLT 5 MEM TEX PHO 28 HOM 13 13th 3224 2008 Braun Racing 32 Toyota DAY 8 CAL LVS ATL NSH 7 TEX TAL 37 NHA CHI GTY IRP CGV GLN 34 MCH BRI 36 CAL DOV 6 TEX 14 HOM 7 19th 2758 Joe Gibbs Racing 20 Toyota BRI 26 PHO MXC RCH CLT DAY 18 DAR DNQ DOV 1 * NSH KEN MLW RCH KAN 1 * CLT MEM PHO 2009 DAY CAL LVS 21 BRI TEX NSH PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW NHA DAY CHI GTY IRP IOW RCH 17 DOV 27 KAN CAL CLT MEM TEX PHO 12 60th 729 CJM Racing 11 Toyota GLN 34 MCH 32 BRI CGV ATL HOM 5 Joe Gibbs Racing 20 Toyota DAY CAL LVS BRI NSH PHO TEX TAL RCH DAR 1 * DOV 12 CLT NSH KEN ROA NHA DAY CHI GTY IRP IOW GLN MCH BRI CGV ATL RCH 6 DOV KAN CAL CLT GTY TEX PHO HOM 61st 652 2011 DAY PHO LVS 7 BRI CAL TEX TAL NSH RCH 1 * DAR DOV IOW CLT CHI MCH ROA DAY KEN NHA NSH IRP IOW GLN CGV BRI ATL RCH CHI DOV KAN CLT 93rd 0 18 TEX PHO HOM 5 2012 DAY 32 PHO 9 LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN 33 DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN CGV BRI ATL 12 RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT 5 KAN TEX 5 PHO HOM 108th 0 2013 20 DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR CLT DOV IOW MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV KAN CLT TEX PHO HOM 101st 0 2014 DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX DAR RCH TAL IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ATL RCH CHI 32 KEN DOV KAN CLT TEX PHO HOM 116th 0 2015 54 DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL 18 TEX 7 BRI 31 CLT DOV 83rd 0 20 RCH 1 * TAL IOW MCH 10 CHI DAY KEN NHA 1 * IND IOW GLN MOH BRI 3 * ROA DAR 1 * RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 2016 18 DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV CLT 1 * POC MCH IOW DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 89th 0 2017 20 DAY ATL 20 LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL CLT 5 DOV POC MCH IOW DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA - * 0 * 18 DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM Camping World Truck Series NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 NCWTC Pts EJP Racing 03 Chevy DAY ATL MAR MFD CLT DOV TEX MEM MLW KAN KEN GTW MCH IRP 10 NSH BRI RCH 16 NHA 11 LVS 23 CAL TEX 18 MAR PHO DAR HOM 37th 582 2006 Morgan - Dollar Motorsports 46 Chevy DAY CAL ATL MAR GTY CLT MFD DOV TEX MCH MLW KAN KEN MEM IRP NSH BRI NHA LVS TAL MAR 8 ATL TEX PHO HOM 71st 142 2007 Billy Ballew Motorsports 15 Chevy DAY CAL ATL MAR KAN CLT MFD DOV TEX MCH MLW MEM KEN IRP NSH BRI GTW NHA LVS TAL MAR 19 ATL TEX PHO HOM 88th 106 2008 Toyota DAY CAL ATL MAR 21 KAN CLT MFD DOV TEX MCH MLW MEM KEN IRP NSH BRI GTW NHA LVS TAL MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 54th 270 2009 51 DAY CAL ATL MAR KAN CLT DOV TEX MCH MLW MEM KEN IRP NSH BRI CHI IOW GTW NHA LVS MAR 6 TAL TEX PHO HOM 74th 155 15 DAY ATL MAR NSH KAN DOV CLT TEX MCH IOW GTY IRP POC 9 NSH DAR BRI CHI KEN NHA LVS MAR TAL TEX PHO HOM 85th 143 2011 Kyle Busch Motorsports 18 Toyota DAY PHO DAR MAR NSH DOV CLT KAN TEX KEN IOW NSH IRP POC MCH BRI ATL CHI NHA KEN LVS TAL MAR 1 * TEX HOM 84th 0 2012 DAY MAR CAR KAN CLT DOV TEX KEN IOW CHI POC 5 MCH BRI ATL IOW KEN LVS TAL 79th 0 51 MAR TEX PHO HOM 2013 DAY MAR CAR KAN CLT DOV TEX KEN IOW ELD POC MCH BRI MSP IOW CHI LVS TAL MAR 6 TEX PHO HOM 93rd 0 ARCA Racing Series ( key ) ( Bold -- Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics -- Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * -- Most laps led. ) ARCA Racing Series results Year Team No. Make 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 ARSC Pts Fast Track Racing Enterprises 10 Pontiac DAY NSH SLM KEN TOL CLT KAN POC MCH SBO BLN KEN GTW POC LER NSH ISF TOL DSF CHI SLM TAL 107th 215 2005 Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac DAY NSH 36 SLM KEN TOL LAN MIL POC MCH KAN KEN BLN POC GTW LER NSH MCH ISF TOL DSF CHI SLM TAL 169th 50 Season still in progress Ineligible for series points References Jump up ^ `` Rockwell Automation Racing Driver Denny Hamlin ''. Rockwell Automation. Retrieved June 23, 2011. Born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin spent a majority of his childhood in Chesterfield, Virginia. Making his first start in a go - kart at age 7, Hamlin won his first race and has been winning ever since. He quickly moved through the local tracks of Richmond, Virginia and conquered the Mini Stocks, Grand Stocks and Late Model Stock Cars before being noticed by Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin currently lives in Cornelius, NC and, when he is not racing, enjoys online gaming, golf and spending time with friends. Jump up ^ Profile - Denny Hamlin.com Jump up ^ Caraviello, David ( January 20, 2014 ). `` TOP 10 ROOKIE CAMPAIGNS AT NASCAR 'S HIGHEST LEVEL ''. NASCAR. Retrieved January 20, 2014. Jump up ^ Hamlin first ROTY contender to make The Chase Jump up ^ First Turn : Best Rookie Seasons - No. 1 : Denny Hamlin, youtube.com ; accessed August 22, 2017. Jump up ^ Denny Hamlin to have surgery for torn ACL Jump up ^ `` Ford out as crew chief for Hamlin, No. 11 ''. NASCAR.com. December 6, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Hamlin wins Phoenix Sprint Cup race ''. FOX Sports. March 4, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012. Jump up ^ Bruce, Kenny ( March 25, 2013 ). `` Hamlin suffers L1 compression fracture ''. NASCAR. Retrieved March 25, 2013. Jump up ^ Bruce, Kenny ( May 5, 2013 ). `` Hamlin 's early Talladega exit goes according to plan ''. NASCAR. Retrieved May 5, 2013. Jump up ^ Reed, Steve ( May 23, 2013 ). `` Hamlin takes Coca - Cola 600 pole with record lap ''. Yahoo ! Sports. Retrieved May 23, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Hamlin spins, causing multicar crash ''. NASCAR. July 7, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2013. Jump up ^ Hembree, Mike ( February 15, 2014 ). `` Denny Hamlin wins Sprint Unlimited on wild night ''. USA Today. Retrieved February 15, 2014. Jump up ^ Spencer, Reid ( February 20, 2014 ). `` KENSETH, HAMLIN PREVAIL IN THRILLING DUEL FINISHES ''. NASCAR. Retrieved February 21, 2014. Jump up ^ Bromberg, Nick ( March 23, 2014 ). `` Denny Hamlin to miss race at Auto Club, Sam Hornish Jr. to fill in ''. Yahoo ! Sports. Retrieved March 23, 2014. Jump up ^ Owens, Jeff ( May 4, 2014 ). `` Denny Hamlin wins crash - marred race at Talladega ''. Sporting News. Retrieved May 5, 2014. Jump up ^ Ryan, Nate ( April 20, 2015 ). `` Ryan : Erik Jones ' Sprint Cup ' debut ' will be remembered even without the official recognition ''. NBC Sports. Retrieved April 20, 2015. Jump up ^ Holly Cain ( February 21, 2016 ). `` Denny Hamlin wins thrilling Daytona 500 ''. Jump up ^ `` Denny Hamlin, Jordan Fish welcome first child ''. NASCAR. January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013. Jump up ^ Perez, A.J. ; Hembree, Mike ( May 19, 2017 ). `` NASCAR drivers will handle broadcast duties during Xfinity race at Pocono ''. USA Today. Retrieved June 7, 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Denny Hamlin. Official website Denny Hamlin driver statistics at Racing - Reference Denny Hamlin at Joe Gibbs Racing Achievements Preceded by Joey Logano Daytona 500 Winner 2016 Succeeded by Kurt Busch Preceded by Mark Martin Bojangles ' Southern 500 winner Succeeded by Regan Smith Preceded by Jimmie Johnson Kevin Harvick Matt Kenseth Sprint Unlimited winner 2006 2014 2016 Succeeded by Tony Stewart Matt Kenseth Incumbent Preceded by Jamie McMurray NASCAR Sprint All - Star Race winner 2015 Succeeded by Joey Logano Awards Preceded by Kyle Busch NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Rookie of the Year 2006 Succeeded by Juan Pablo Montoya Links to related articles Joe Gibbs Racing Management Joe Gibbs J.D. Gibbs Curtis Markham Jimmy Makar Drivers Monster Energy Cup Series ( 11 ) Denny Hamlin ( 18 ) Kyle Busch ( 19 ) Daniel Suárez ( 20 ) Matt Kenseth Xfinity Series ( 18 ) Daniel Suárez / Kyle Busch / Kyle Benjamin / Christopher Bell / Regan Smith ( 19 ) Matt Tifft ( 20 ) Erik Jones / Denny Hamlin / Kyle Benjamin / Christopher Bell / Ryan Preece / James Davison ARCA Racing Series ( 18 ) Matt Tifft / Riley Herbst JGRMX Justin Brayton Crew chiefs Cup Series ( 11 ) Mike Wheeler ( 18 ) Adam Stevens ( 19 ) Dave Rogers ( 20 ) Jason Ratcliff Xfinity Series ( 18 ) Chris Gayle ( 19 ) Scott Graves ( 20 ) Chris Gabehart Past drivers Aric Almirola Dakoda Armstrong Mike Bliss Justin Boston Brad Coleman Matt Crafton Matt DiBenedetto Carl Edwards Coy Gibbs J.D. Gibbs Kenny Habul Drew Herring Sam Hornish Jr. Dale Jarrett Owen Kelly Ross Kenseth Bobby Labonte Jason Leffler Joey Logano Michael McDowell Mike McLaughlin Jeff Purvis David Ragan Elliott Sadler Brian Scott Tony Stewart Ryan Truex Brian Vickers Darrell Wallace Jr. J.J. Yeley Partnerships and affiliations Furniture Row Racing Kyle Busch Motorsports RAB Racing Red Horse Racing Venturini Motorsports Kyle Busch Motorsports Owners Kyle Busch Drivers Truck Series ( 4 ) Christopher Bell ( 18 ) Noah Gragson ( 46 ) Todd Gilliland / Kyle Busch ( 51 ) Harrison Burton / Kyle Busch / Myatt Snider / Todd Gilliland Former drivers Scott Bloomquist Justin Boston Kurt Busch Cody Coughlin Joey Coulter Gray Gaulding Chad Hackenbracht Denny Hamlin Brian Ickler Parker Kligerman Gary Klutt Jason Leffler Tayler Malsam Kimi Räikkönen Josh Richards Brian Scott Matt Tifft Darrell Wallace Jr. William Byron Advance Auto Parts Clash winners Multiple Six - time Dale Earnhardt Three - time Tony Stewart Dale Jarrett Kevin Harvick Denny Hamlin Two - time Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeff Gordon Ken Schrader Neil Bonnett One - time Buddy Baker Darrell Waltrip Bobby Allison Terry Labonte Bill Elliott Geoff Bodine Rusty Wallace Mark Martin Jimmie Johnson Kurt Busch Matt Kenseth Kyle Busch Daytona 500 winners Multiple Seven - time Richard Petty Four - time Cale Yarborough Three - time Bobby Allison Dale Jarrett Jeff Gordon Two - time Bill Elliott Sterling Marlin Michael Waltrip Matt Kenseth Jimmie Johnson Dale Earnhardt Jr. One - time Lee Petty Junior Johnson Marvin Panch Fireball Roberts Tiny Lund Fred Lorenzen Mario Andretti LeeRoy Yarbrough Pete Hamilton A.J. Foyt Benny Parsons David Pearson Buddy Baker Geoff Bodine Darrell Waltrip Derrike Cope Ernie Irvan Davey Allison Dale Earnhardt Ward Burton Kevin Harvick Ryan Newman Jamie McMurray Trevor Bayne Joey Logano Denny Hamlin Kurt Busch NASCAR Triple Threats ( Race Wins In All Three Major Series ) Dates listed are when the driver accomplished the `` Triple Threat '' 1990s Ken Schrader ( April 15, 1995 ) Terry Labonte ( September 7, 1995 ) Mark Martin ( September 28, 1996 ) 2000s Bobby Hamilton ( April 10, 2000 ) Kevin Harvick ( November 8, 2002 ) Greg Biffle ( July 5, 2003 ) Jimmy Spencer ( September 13, 2003 ) Jamie McMurray ( October 23, 2004 ) Tony Stewart ( February 19, 2005 ) Steve Park ( February 25, 2005 ) Carl Edwards ( March 20, 2005 ) Bobby Labonte ( April 9, 2005 ) Kasey Kahne ( May 14, 2005 ) Kyle Busch ( September 4, 2005 ) Ricky Craven ( October 22, 2005 ) Kurt Busch ( April 8, 2006 ) Johnny Benson Jr. ( June 17, 2006 ) Clint Bowyer ( September 16, 2007 ) Ryan Newman ( October 25, 2008 ) David Reutimann ( May 25, 2009 ) 2010s Elliott Sadler ( July 31, 2010 ) Michael Waltrip ( February 18, 2011 ) Denny Hamlin ( October 29, 2011 ) Aric Almirola ( July 6, 2014 ) Brad Keselowski ( August 21, 2014 ) Joey Logano ( March 28, 2015 ) Kyle Larson ( August 28, 2016 ) Austin Dillon ( May 28, 2017 ) Ryan Blaney ( June 11, 2017 ) NASCAR Rookies of the Year Sprint Cup 1954 : Pitt 1957 : Rush 1958 : Rollins 1959 : R. Petty 1960 : D. Pearson 1961 : Wilson 1962 : Cox 1963 : Wade 1964 : Cooper 1965 : McQuagg 1966 : Hylton 1967 : Do. Allison 1968 : P. Hamilton 1969 : Brooks 1970 : Dennis 1971 : Ballard 1972 : L. Smith 1973 : Pond 1974 : Ross 1975 : B. Hill 1976 : Manning 1977 : Rudd 1978 : Thomas 1979 : Earnhardt 1980 : Ridley 1981 : R. Bouchard 1982 : G. Bodine 1983 : Marlin 1984 : R. Wallace 1985 : Schrader 1986 : Kulwicki 1987 : Da. Allison 1988 : K. Bouchard 1989 : Trickle 1990 : Moroso 1991 : B. Hamilton 1992 : Hensley 1993 : Gordon 1994 : J. Burton 1995 : Craven 1996 : Benson 1997 : Skinner 1998 : Irwin 1999 : Stewart 2000 : Kenseth 2001 : Harvick 2002 : Newman 2003 : McMurray 2004 : Kahne 2005 : Ky. Busch 2006 : Hamlin 2007 : Montoya 2008 : R. Smith 2009 : Logano 2010 : Conway 2011 : Lally 2012 : Leicht 2013 : Stenhouse Jr. 2014 : K. Larson 2015 : B. Moffitt 2016 : C. Elliott Xfinity Series 1989 : K. Wallace 1990 : Nemechek 1991 : J. Gordon 1992 : Craven 1993 : H. Sadler 1994 : Benson 1995 : Fuller 1996 : G. Allen Jr. 1997 : Park 1998 : Santerre 1999 : Raines 2000 : Harvick 2001 : Biffle 2002 : Riggs 2003 : Stremme 2004 : Ky. Busch 2005 : C. Edwards 2006 : O'Quinn Jr. 2007 : Ragan 2008 : Cassill 2009 : Allgaier 2010 : Stenhouse Jr. 2011 : T. Hill 2012 : A. Dillon 2013 : K. Larson 2014 : C. Elliott 2015 : D. Suárez 2016 : E. Jones Camping World Truck 1996 : Reffner 1997 : Irwin 1998 : Biffle 1999 : Stefanik 2000 : Ku. Busch 2001 : Kvapil 2002 : Gaughan 2003 : C. Edwards 2004 : Reutimann 2005 : Kluever 2006 : Darnell 2007 : W. Allen 2008 : Braun 2009 : Jo. Sauter 2010 : A. Dillon 2011 : Coulter 2012 : T. Dillon 2013 : R. Blaney 2014 : B. Kennedy 2015 : E. Jones 2016 : W. Byron VIAF : 46206079 LCCN : n2007002917 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Denny_Hamlin&oldid=802519147 '' Categories : Living people 1980 births People from Chesterfield County, Virginia Racing drivers from Virginia NASCAR drivers Manchester High School ( Virginia ) alumni Sportspeople from Tampa, Florida Racing drivers from Florida FedEx 20th - century American racing drivers 21st - century American racing drivers Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from March 2016 Articles needing additional references from August 2017 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2017 All articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from August 2011 Articles with unsourced statements from August 2011 Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Bahasa Indonesia Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 26 September 2017, at 17 : 41. 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Question: how many nascar wins does denny hamlin have
Answer: 30