When it comes to sharing their takes on winning the NASCAR World Series, seven-time winner Richard Petty has a lot of credibility. The racing legend still finds ways to stay close to the world of NASCAR, this time with his insights on the ongoing race to the championship, with Denny Hamlin also involved.

The 45-year-old put on a statement performance to win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He dedicated the triumph to his late father. Currently, fourth in the standings, Hamlin is 78 points behind leader Tyler Reddick. Petty believes the veteran has all the chances to outperform his rivals to win the elusive trophy this year.

“Well, I look at the car and how good he’s been running, just decent all the time,” said the legend on the Petty Family racing YouTube channel. “The way things are lining up for him, he’s going to be just as good this year as he was last year, and in doing that, he’s got a heck of a chance to be able to wind up winning a championship.”

Hamlin held the lead for 28 laps in a row at Phoenix last year. But when a caution occurred on lap 309, Denny Hamlin, exiting the pit first, chose to change all four tires. This resulted in his sixth-place finish in the race, with Kyle Larson ultimately being the winner.

“If you remember last year, the reason he lost the championship was that he got four tyres and others got two tyres, otherwise he was supposed to win,” said Petty. “The way the point standings are now, the points are going to be more important than the position you finish in.”

Having recently secured a place in the Top 10 for all-time race wins, Hamlin will also be hoping to add a NASCAR World Series to his resume.

Hamlin has had multiple championship heartbreaks.

Hamlin believed that after all the years of heartbreak, he had finally secured the trophy in 2025. But he fell short in the final laps, and that affected him deeply.

“I really don’t have much for emotion right now,” Hamlin said. “Just numb about it because I’m just in shock.”

This was, however, not the first incident where the title slipped away from Hamlin in the final race. He experienced crushing defeats in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2019, and 2021. However, after the loss of his father and the defeat in Phoenix, 2025 gave Hamlin a clearer perspective on handling difficult situations.

“It certainly is different. And I think that the easy thing to say is ‘poor me.’ But it’s like, I still have a fantastic life, a great family,” said Hamlin. “A lot of people go through tragedies. So everyone kind of has their times where they have to go through tough moments. And I think that those are really kind of building moments of your character. It’s how you respond to it.”

With 21 years of life and having gone through multiple heartbreaks, Hamlin possesses considerable experience. A championship win would immortalize his legacy in NASCAR, given his extensive accomplishments in the sport.