Chasing a cup title at the age of 44 is no easy feat, and Denny Hamlin knows all about it. Hamlin’s 60th career win is what has led him to this very moment at Phoenix this weekend. The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s pursuit of a Cup Series championship moved one step closer as he claimed the pole position for Sunday’s title-deciding race at the Arizona one-mile.

Hamlin delivered a commanding 26.914-second lap to take the top spot, his 48th career pole and the fifth of the 2025 season. But staying competitive in NASCAR isn’t easy, and Hamlin recognizes the amount of work that goes into that.

Denny Hamlin pulls back the curtain on the hard work

Post-qualifying, Hamlin admitted to the hard work he had to put in.  He said, “I mean, it’s what I have to do. I just, I’m not as talented as they are. So I just have to work really, really, really hard at this thing to make speed and keep up with the younger guys that are just, you know, have came in much younger, much faster than what guys like, you know, I have, you know, 20, 30 years ago. So it’s really, really difficult, but I’m certainly just so grateful to be with the team that I am, that they put cars like this under me each and every week.”

Having young and upcoming drivers like Carson Hocevar, Ty Gibbs, and even Connor Zilisch definitely keeps the No. 11 driver on his feet. Just take the qualifying session, for example. Byron, 28, really battled it out on track, trying to fight Hamlin for the top spot, but fell 0.042s short. And that margin is really very close. Moreover, the fire to win your first title isn’t lost in the youngsters. Joining Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and Byron are all chasing their first title, with the latter two entering the playoffs for the first and second time, respectively.

It can be said with much certainty that the younger duo will do everything in their power to fight tooth and nail for the championship. Moreover, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver revealed the work he put in that gave him the pole position. He said, “It’s more of just a sense of relief that I executed the lap that I was practicing. I mean, you know, it’s so, these cars are so finicky and just kind of however you approach the corners, and you know, I still didn’t do it nearly to the best of my ability. I certainly felt like I could have done better, but for it still to be enough tells me, you know, my team’s, you know, put a great car under me for this weekend.”

While the younger generation tends to rely on raw pace and adaptability, Hamlin’s lies in preparation. Spending long hours on the simulator and studying race data meticulously definitely led him to claim this position. Hamlin seems to have mastered the Next-Gen cars, as his once-upon-a-time rivals, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, seem to be struggling with them.

” It’s more just like the now gen (now generation), it’s not really the Next Gen,” Buescher said recently. “It’s not really the next gen, right? … To me it’s helped your younger generation come in. [But] it’s hurt your veterans more than some others, especially ones that weren’t able to adapt to the different style racing. I think a lot of that comes down to the fact that they’re just durable.”

And the stats sadly back it up. From 2012 to 2021, during NASCAR’s Gen 6 era, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski were among the sport’s most dominant forces. Busch had captured two championships, logged multiple top-four finishes, and only once placed outside the top 10 in points. Keselowski’s record was equally impressive: 2012 title, 2017 runner-up finish, and playoff appearances in all 10 seasons, including consistent deep runs in the Round of 8 or Championship 4.

However, the transition to the Next-Gen car marked a sharp decline. Busch has endured back-to-back seasons without the top 10 and is currently in the longest win streak of his career, spanning 89+ races. Keselowski, too, struggles to adapt, securing only one victory since 2022 while slipping to mid-pack finishes. Their statistics underline a broader challenge faced by veteran drivers still trying to find their footing in NASCAR’s new era. And very recently, Kyle Busch laid down his foot on the matter.

But things look different for Hamlin. A championship at nearly 45 wouldn’t just be another start for Hamlin; it would complete one of NASCAR’s most accomplished yet unfulfilled careers. 60 wins, three Daytona 500s, and multiple deep playoff runs have made him a modern legend, but the absence of a title still defines him. As he straps into the No. 11 at Phoenix, Hamlin isn’t just raising the field; he is racing time, perception, and the final piece of a legacy nearly 2 decades in the making. And he’s competing for much more on Sunday as his father’s condition worsens.

Denny Hamlin eyes an emotional win

This year’s championship carries a deeper meaning for Denny Hamlin, shaped by the personal challenges his family is facing. For the veteran driver, taking the checkered flag in Phoenix would go far beyond a career milestone; it would be an emotional time to share with his father, Dennis Hamlin, whose health has been declining. Winning now would be as much about legacy as it is about timing, a son’s chance to deliver on years of dreams while his father can still witness it.

Ahead of the Phoenix finale, Hamlin spoke candidly about what this moment represents. Speaking to Inside The Race, he said, “Obviously, my dad has been a huge fan of mine, and I knew he was watching, and he knew how much 60 meant to me. Realistically, I know this is his last chance to get to see it if it does happen… They’re the ones that made the sacrifices ultimately, right? I’m the one who said this is what I want to do, and they just had to figure out what all they were willing to sacrifice to make that happen. This is the chance if we’re going to do it, and he’s going to see it, it’s going to have to happen now.”

For Hamlin, this weekend’s race isn’t about securing a long-awaited championship; it’s about honoring his roots, his family’s unwavering support, and the emotional weight of sharing one final defining moment with his father. And now with all eyes on Sunday, it can be said with much certainty that Hamlin will do his best to oust the young rivals he is up against.