NASCAR’s Cup Series field this year indeed has a significant number of young drivers taking on the massive challenge. However, to label them a “bunch of amateurs” would seem a bit unreasonable. But that is exactly what ‘The King’ Richard Petty did, as he reviewed the All-Star race at Dover, keeping an old-school driver as the top contender for this season’s championship.

“It couldn’t be an All-Star because they eliminated so many of the stars on, what, the third lap? Looked like a bunch of amateurs to begin with,” Petty said in a conversation with Dale Inman.

Petty’s frustration seems to have reached its boiling point after witnessing the first segment of the NASCAR All-Star Race start and end with big crashes. First, there was a Lap 2 crash, triggered by Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver Ryan Preece, who came down the banking in Turn 1, making contact with Todd Gilliland. However, the crash collected three former All-Star Race winners, and that didn’t sit well with many.

Riley Herbst started the second one and collected as many cars as in the first one – nine! The hardest hit was the Most Popular Driver, Chase Elliott, who was affected both times.

“It was pretty wild,” Elliott said, the 2020 All-Star Race winner. “I hate to get caught up in that. I knew better. I saw it getting crazy. I should have bailed.”

Despite the multi-car involvement in the wrecks, there was one driver who managed to pull away, though – the Toyota of Denny Hamlin. He won the race in fashion, showcasing the pace he carries at Dover, winning for the third consecutive season.

Hamlin controlled the final 30 laps, holding off teammate Chase Briscoe, in a chaotic event that featured eight cautions and incidents involving 23 of the 36 drivers. And, of course, the field had also been inverted following the opening 75-lap segment.

“Denny and his crew chief and engineers and everything, they’ve been the best all year, even though they hadn’t won as many races,” Dale Inman said.

And while there are still enough races remaining in the season, Richard Petty is confident that Hamlin might finally lift his maiden title: “They’ve been the cream of the crop. If he can continue this, it’s going to be hard to beat him for the championship.”

Hamlin has been one of the more competitive drivers on the field throughout the years. Yet, he has never managed to win the championship. Even last year, when he won multiple races and was about to steal it all away, Larson managed to snatch it away in Phoenix with a late restart.

As of now, with one race win (apart from the All-Star race) and seven top 10 finishes, Hamlin has been one of the most consistent drivers so far. He’s placed second in the driver standings, taking the field by a charge. And that consistency will mean a lot going forward in the current playoff system.

Despite all the positives, Hamlin still has a major hurdle to overcome, and as it happens, it’s one of his drivers, Tyler Reddick. Having already won five races this season, the 23XI driver has been on a roll, and Hamlin does realize how that could affect his pursuits.

Denny Hamlin on Reddick as his competitor

“We unfortunately have run through a steamroller of Tyler Reddick, who is on an unprecedented run winning five races so far, nearly half the races, and hasn’t had a worse finish than 15th all year,” Hamlin said after winning the race at the Dover Motor Speedway.

The Chase format, after all, still poses a major issue.

The format does not prioritize winning, and so even if Hamlin wins the season’s final race, he wouldn’t be the champion without the maximum points. And considering that Reddick is already 129 points ahead of him, it could be difficult for him to close that gap. But he is still confident in his team.

“I think that we’re doing well. This is all about positioning yourselves before the playoffs start in September. I personally believe you need to be in the top five points to have a legitimate shot of winning it. And so we’re right where we need to be,” he added.

If Hamlin manages to continue the rest of the season in his current form, he would be the only threat that Reddick would have over his title chances, and considering that the JGR driver already has the upper hand with experience, he seems to have a good shot at clinching the title.