Denny Hamlin has a point to prove at Indianapolis. Despite 16 starts at the historic Brickyard, a win has eluded the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran so far. He has come close, finishing third on three separate occasions, but a top spot on the podium has been just out of reach. However, with momentum on his side from a victory at Dover, the 44-year-old is determined to break that streak this time around, and secure his fifth win of the 2025 Cup Series season.

But that doesn’t mean Hamlin will go above and beyond for a triumph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Virginia-native has experience on his side, and will remain true to his process while hoping for the best outcome at the 2.5-mile oval.

Denny Hamlin is eager to end his Indianapolis streak

“He is chasing history,” said Kyle Petty, sharing his thoughts about Denny Hamlin’s 2025 campaign. Despite the ongoing lawsuit and 23XI Racing’s charter dilemma, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is remaining as focused as ever and keeping his eyes on the prize. He has already won four times in 21 races, more than the entirety of the 2024 season, and secured 10 top-five finishes. That’s pretty impressive. But coming up is the Brickyard 400, a race Hamlin will be desperate to win.

Sharing his thoughts on NASCAR’s ‘The Day After’ podcast, Denny Hamlin candidly said, “I’ll spend a little bit more time at, you know, looking over things for this weekend. We’ll certainly be very motivated inside the car. A little bit of motivation can go a long way. But I won’t change a whole lot of my normal process week to week. I just think that given week to week, we’re gonna be in contention to win at some point anyway, as long as nothing crazy happens.”

To say Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been somewhat of a kryptonite for Hamlin wouldn’t be too much of an overstatement. Last year, the No. 11 driver finished runner-up at Pocono, but couldn’t carry over that momentum at ‘The Brickyard’ and ended up 32nd. And then as if nothing had happened, he finished second again at Richmond in the following race. The 2.5-mile oval hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the veteran, but he isn’t giving up. He said, “We’re just gonna keep giving it another try and see if we can win it this time.”

Denny Hamlin remains something of an enigma, though. 58 wins, yet zero titles to his name. And at age 44, many feel that time is running out for the racer to compete for the elusive Bill France Cup. Could this finally be his year? Perhaps it’s too soon to say, and the veteran is taking it one step at a time. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to go back to back so bad,” Hamlin said after winning at Dover Motor Speedway. “(Indy’s) a track that I’ve just come so freaking close to winning. I just want to cross off all the major racetracks on our schedule.” Can he do it? Time will tell.

Is Hamlin a championship contender?

Just five races remain until the playoffs begin. But despite the business end of the season on the horizon, there’s very little talk about Denny Hamlin being a viable championship contender. It’s understandable in a way. The veteran has come close to lifting the title several times over the years, only to fall short towards the end. It’s a storyline that has dominated news outlets for almost a decade and a half, with nothing to back it up at the end of the year.

The 23XI Racing co-owner isn’t placing that kind of expectation on himself as a driver just yet. Hamlin said, “I try not to just (say), ‘Oh, we’re going to do it this year.’ If we do, we do. If we don’t, we don’t. I care about wins. I want more trophies, more trophies, more trophies. When I’m done, I want to be in the top 10 of all-time winners. That will mean more than any other accomplishment I could have.” As things stand, he’s had the most wins in a single season since 2020, a surprising accomplishment under the circumstances.

2025 was supposed to be a challenging year for Denny Hamlin. He lost FedEx as a sponsor last year, as well as crew chief Chris Gabehart. Chris Gayle took over the role atop the pit box, someone he barely had any connection with. Combine that with the lawsuit and a third child on the way meant the 44-year-old had plenty of distractions off the track. Yet, he managed to drown out the noise to perform where it matters the most. Which means a result at Indianapolis Motor Speedway isn’t entirely beyond the realm of possibility either. Do you think Hamlin will finally win the Brickyard 400? Let us know in the comments!