Denny Hamlin has done almost everything a NASCAR driver can dream of. 60 career Cup wins, tying him for 10th on the all-time list. Crown jewels? He’s checked them off. His name sits among NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers. He’s conquered the Busch Light Clash, won on every style of track, and outlasted eras, rule changes, and rivals. And yet… the one thing that keeps slipping away is the championship.

At Phoenix in 2025, it looked like this might finally be the year. No. 11 was fast. The crowd was behind him. The moment felt right. But, once again, fate blinked. A race that should have rewritten history instead became another chapter in a familiar story. But that’s where this one takes a turn because Denny Hamlin is starting to define his legacy on different terms. And it’s based on a driver who, like him, never won a championship but became a legend anyway.

Denny Hamlin values respect over rings, like Mark Martin

For Denny Hamlin, the turning point in how he views his career after his Phoenix loss came down to one name: Mark Martin. In a moment of reflection on Actions Detrimental, Hamlin laid it out clearly, “The cups are empty. The trophies mean nothing. There’s only a few people that walk in the front door of this house, so there’s only a few people that see it. It’s the respect that we really ultimately seek… Certainly, Mark Martin was one that I always thought that the guy never won a championship. But if you don’t put him in your top 10 greatest drivers of all time, you’re absolutely crazy.”

Martin’s achievements speak volumes. “The Kid,” named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998, had 40 Cup Series wins, five championship runner-ups, and was one of the most consistently elite drivers across three decades of competition. He won on superspeedways, short tracks, intermediates, and road courses. You name it, and Martin had conquered it. Yet, as Hamlin explained, what stands out most isn’t the number of trophies. Instead, it’s the reverence.

“You ask Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace and guys with far more wins than Mark Martin, they’d say, ‘Yeah, but Mark’s the toughest. Mark was the hardest to beat,'” Hamlin explained. Throughout the 1990s, Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin were locked in one of NASCAR’s most respected rivalries, trading blows for wins and title shots with fierce intensity. Yet away from the track, their competitive fire gave way to admiration. Earnhardt held deep respect for Martin, not just for his speed, but for his unshakable work ethic and the quiet professionalism that defined his career.

Denny Hamlin’s own career, including three Daytona 500 wins, mirrors Martin’s grit and determination. By aspiring to recreate Martin’s legacy, Hamlin hopes to be remembered not just for his victories but also for his toughness, sportsmanship, and lasting impact on the sport. But there’s another name on that list.

The one driver who quietly redefined Hamlin’s perspective

For years, Denny Hamlin built his compass around legends. Jimmie Johnson’s calm dominance, Joe Gibbs’ steady leadership, and the legacy of champions who shaped NASCAR’s modern era. Johnson, especially, was the template. A seven-time champion who didn’t bully his way to the top, but won through relentless execution and respect, he became the figure Hamlin studied more than anyone else.

But as time passed, another name began pulling at Hamlin’s attention: Carl Edwards.

Edwards’ NASCAR career was brilliant but brief.

28 wins in 445 starts, 13 years of fierce competition, and a reputation for integrity. And then, his sudden exit. After losing the 2016 title in a heart-crushing clash with Joey Logano at Homestead, Edwards didn’t just walk away from a championship… he walked away from the sport itself.

That moment, similar to what Hamlin experienced this year, altered his perspective on Edwards. “Carl Edwards is shooting up that list hard just simply because as I’ve gotten to know him through interviews that we’ve had one sit down kind of at Pocono, had production things where we have interactions… I had some good conversations with him,” Hamlin said.

Edwards didn’t see racing as the entire story. He saw it as one chapter.

“He fought his entire life to reach the pinnacle and then got to the pinnacle and said, ‘You know what? I don’t think this is what I’m meant to do forever,’” Hamlin said. “I think there’s something else that is more for me out there.”

Hamlin admits he’s not sure he could ever do that: step away with that kind of clarity and peace. After another heartbreak in Phoenix, Edwards reached out. Not as a rival or critic. But as someone who understood the weight. And in that moment, Hamlin realized, he’s already earned what matters. Everything else? Just icing on the cake.