In the intoxicating world of motorsport racing, Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Denny Hamlin is the most enigmatic cocktail. His ingredients would list suave charisma, an unabashed love for the sport, and an unquenchable thirst to compete. And now, he has topped it with a lethal mixer of coveting the championship trophy. At any cost.

The unstoppable racer tamed the toughest tracks, climbed countless poles, and breezed past checkered flags, only to fall short of his ultimate desire. As the #11 driver looks ahead to conquer the next notch in his championship goalpost, Rick Hendrick stands firm as an unbudging obstacle.

How far will Hamlin go to demolish HMS’ championship heroes?

Denny Hamlin qualified for the Cup Series playoffs for the 17th time in his career. The scale of the accomplishment could only be highlighted by noting that Hamlin made his full-time Cup debut in 2006, only 18 years ago. A serious crash at Autoclub Speedway prevented him from qualifying in 2013 on account of missed races. Once the format changed in 2014, the ace racer cruised four times to the Championship 4 race. Now, he’s eying the Phoenix Raceway for the fifth time this year while tackling a major roadblock, Hendrick Motorsports.

Rick Hendrick’s #24 driver William Byron amassed the highest playoff points with five incredible wins in the regular season. Although his playoff races left a lot to be desired, Byron would endeavor to attain his previous form in the upcoming race at Texas Motor Speedway. It doesn’t help that the HMS racer cost Hamlin a win on those very grounds with a deliberate hit under caution last year.

However, there is a far bigger threat lurking in the HMS garage at the moment. The #5 Chevrolet Camaro of Kyle ‘Wheelman’ Larson.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver emerged as the most promising championship contender this season. In his 7th playoff qualification, Larson snatched Hamlin’s usual Darlington triumph. And followed that with Top 5 finishes in the next two playoff races. The #5 driver was right alongside Hamlin near the Bristol finish line and settled for a runner-up place behind the #11 driver’s 51st Cup win. Notably, unlike Hamlin, Larson already possesses a 2021 champion win in his arsenal.

Watch this story: Denny Hamlin Furious After Michael Jordan’s Protégé Snatches Victory From Him at Kansas

In fact, the two off-track ‘friends’ have an incorrigible history of on-track ‘rivalry’. When Larson followed Hamlin at the Bristol Motor Speedway, he must have recalled the ruthlessness of the JGR driver at Ponoco Raceway this year. In a highly contentious move, the #11 driver shoved the leading #5 Chevrolet into a 20th-place finish, taking Larson’s win for himself. And it wasn’t even the first time that year. Ponoco could easily be considered a more aggressive version of the AdventHealth 400 in Kansas. Hamlin pushed Larson into the wall for his own victory.

Hamlin would be quick to point out Larson’s retaliation at the Richmond Raceway. But Hamlin did not even spare his foremost competitor in the playoff race last year.

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson experience Texas déjà vu

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When William Byron touted this season as a Gibbs-Hendrick showdown in the media day interview, it rang as a forthcoming premonition. Of course, the more accurate depiction would be the Hamlin-Larson showdown. The JGR star has three wins and sixteen Top 10 finishes on the Texas Motor Speedway. Although his last win was recorded in 2019, he still displayed a Top 10 performance in three of his past five starts on this racetrack. With an average finish of 12.5, Hamlin would be a force to behold at the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. If only Kyle Larson would permit it.

Kyle Larson could boast of the best performance on the 1.5-mile track in recent years. In the past three years, the #5 driver has had an average finish of 5 on the Texas racetrack, highest among all drivers. More pertinently, Larson conquered this track in 2021 prior to his overall championship at the end of the season. He undoubtedly aims to replicate that scenario in the coming playoff race. While keeping in mind the consequences of Denny Hamlin’s daredevil stunts in a desperate bid for the missing laurel in his résumé.

The playoff race in Texas began last year with Hamlin and Larson in the 8th and 9th places, respectively. The skilled drivers managed to maneuver their way toward the front in Stage 1. But a restart prompted the reckless Toyota driver to swerve Larson out of his way. Despite that, the #5 driver went on to win the first stage. Eventually, Larson finished 9th and Hamlin followed suit in 10th place.

In an eerily similar fashion, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson qualified 10th and 11th, respectively, this weekend. Will they battle on superior performance or will Hamlin resort to earlier histrionics in his all-consuming hunger for the trophy?

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