Dover Motor Speedway, known affectionately (and fearfully) as the Monster Mile, is one of NASCAR’s most demanding tracks. With its one-mile concrete oval, steep 24° turns, and punishing surface that mandates perfect tire and line control, it has humbled legends across generations such as Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, and even Dale Earnhardt Sr. The track’s unforgiving nature makes victories here prized and elusive. Early in his career, Denny Hamlin struggled mightily to tame this beast, while teammates like Jimmie Johnson and later Martin Truex Jr. became benchmarks. Yet everything changed for Hamlin. It remained a thorn until a revelation, inspired by Truex Jr., flipped the narrative entirely.

In his early years with Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin showed flashes of brilliance. He left his mark on superspeedways and intermediate tracks, but Dover wasn’t one of them. While drivers like Jimmie Johnson amassed domineering Dover stats, Hamlin often fell short in the top‑10 count. Truex Jr., meanwhile, steadily carved out a reputation for mastering the Monster Mile with multiple wins. Hamlin’s worst performances at Dover underscored his limitations. All that stood before the moment Martin Truex Jr. arrived as a teammate, setting the stage for the mindset shift that would rewrite Hamlin’s Dover story.

Denny Hamlin’s humble Dover admission owes thanks to Truex Jr.

“I certainly know what it took. It just took hours and hours and hours and days and days and days to change my approach to that racetrack,” Hamlin reflected, revealing the relentless effort behind his turnaround. Initially, he admitted, he leaned on excuses. “It was very easy for me to cop out and say ‘Oh I don’t have the same car that he has. So I can’t do that.’” But then, Truex Jr., in the very same Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, demonstrated that right mindset and execution. Upon witnessing these results, Hamlin had his moment of realization.

“When I had Martin Truex as a teammate, and he had the same approach as Jimmie, and the same car as I did, I was like, ‘Oh so our cars can do that. How can I do that?’” Hamlin said on his podcast, summing up the transformation. Truex Jr. has been an expert at line selection, tire conservation, long‑run pace, and fuel strategy. He essentially provided a living blueprint. Hamlin hadn’t merely inherited the equipment. He adopted a framework honed by Truex Jr.’s methodical success at Dover. The results that then came spoke volumes. Once a place of struggle, Dover later became a site of multiple wins for Denny Hamlin. This included back‑to‑back Dover victories in 2025, leading over 60 laps in his most recent triumph.

As teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin and Truex Jr. shared more than blinds and pit stalls. They shared success. Truex Jr. captured four Dover wins during his career, becoming the gold standard. Meanwhile, Hamlin’s later performances vaulted him into elite company alongside rising talents like Chase Briscoe and established stars like Larson and Truex Jr. himself. Together, they raised the bar. Hamlin’s pit crew execution urgently sharpened thanks to lessons from Truex Jr.’s setup and race planning. This was key in high‑pressure moments at Dover and beyond.

Hamlin’s Dover win adds to NASCAR playoff drama

Denny Hamlin’s latest triumph at Dover was his second straight win at the Monster Mile. NASCAR’s official report confirms Hamlin “held off Chase Briscoe in double overtime” to claim the win at Dover, becoming the first driver since Jimmie Johnson to score back-to-back victories at the track. But beyond his glory, this victory played a pivotal role in the evolving playoff landscape. Dover’s win-and-in format means every checkered flag can shift playoff chances for multiple drivers. As Hamlin claimed yet another trophy, he also removed a potential new winner’s spot. This is an outcome that quietly reshuffles the postseason deck for several hopefuls.

With a finite 16-seat playoff field and just five regular-season races left, each new winner nearly equates to a playoff berth. Six drivers: Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano hold early wins. If someone else had won at Dover, it might have pushed cases like Cary Cindric and Berry in jeopardy. Instead, Hamlin’s repeated success clears the way for current points leaders and single-race winners safely above the cutoff.

In plain terms: if an upset winner had emerged, they’d likely take a playoff spot solely on victory, thereby displacing those slimmer-margin drivers. Hamlin’s repeat ensured no such upset occurred. Meanwhile, secondary winners like Cindric and Berry retain their slim playoff cushion. They remain untouched by the threat of displacement. All because Hamlin stood firm at the front.

In essence, Denny Hamlin’s success performed double duty. It secured his own playoff position while indirectly protecting others. The regular season hurtles toward its finale at Daytona. Now, each win (or a repeat win for that matter) narrows the doorway for unexpected challengers and defends the current playoff bubble.