For the last few years, fans have been well aware of NASCAR’s ‘villain’. It has been Denny Hamlin, due to his frequent clashes with rivals and unfiltered attitude. This reputation continued into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, when he clashed with teammate Ty Gibbs and disadvantaged Bubba Wallace, the driver of his own team, 23XI Racing. At the same time, however, Hamlin also revealed emotions that his fans rarely get to see – and Joe Gibbs highlighted them.

The Cup Series championship race is less than a week away, with four drivers gearing up for Phoenix Raceway. Denny Hamlin is among them, having won 6 races this year. Yet behind these victories lies a story of shedding sweat and tears, and Hamlin’s team owner shared a snippet recently.

Joe Gibbs divulges Denny Hamlin’s ‘superhuman’ side

Fans always see one side of the story. We mostly just see NASCAR drivers’ performances on the racetrack, as we saw Denny Hamlin picking up his 60th Cup race trophy in Las Vegas. Yet the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran slipped out a hint of the toil that goes on behind the scenes.

After winning the South Point 400, Hamlin broke down in tears. And contrary to his usual attitude, he chose not to make fun of the fans at Victory Lane. This elicited roars of cheers from the grandstands – another extraordinary occurrence – as fans acknowledged Hamlin’s win. Now, his team owner revealed a little more of his ‘superhuman’ or rather, his ‘human’ talents.

Speaking to NASCAR journalist Dustin Long, Joe Gibbs touched upon the multiple stressors in Denny Hamlin’s life. Ranging from his dad’s ailing health to the NASCAR lawsuit, Hamlin has a lot on his plate. “If you think about Denny, where he is right now with Dennis, his dad, and all that the family went through to sacrifice for him. He brings that up all the time. Then everything he’s got going at 23XI. Okay. And then what he’s got going with us, you just realize, that’s a lot.” 

Even in the middle of tackling these challenges, Denny Hamlin managed to win the highest number of races in 2025. He cracked the Championship 4 for the first time since 2021. So Joe Gibbs continued to praise him. “I think he’s a very unusual person to be able to handle all that,” he said. “He’s also a gifted athlete. So I would say from the time that Denny first came on board, you know, 20 years ago, I think probably where he is today is probably one of the biggest changes that I’ve seen in a person. I think a lot of it’s because of his family now and Jordan and the kids. Um, you know, there’s just a lot there.”

Meanwhile, the No. 11 JGR team is on a war footing this week. Last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, both Denny Hamlin’s car and Chase Briscoe’s No. 19 Toyota faced engine issues. Joe Gibbs narrowed it down to faulty valve springs and proclaimed that a plan of action is underway. Yet Hamlin may seamlessly get over it in time for Phoenix – due to his unique ability.

A treasure trove of positivity

Denny Hamlin has competed across almost two decades in NASCAR. He has not only survived, but also has thrived. He raced in four different generations of Cup Series cars, reshaping his driving style each time. The Virginia-native picked up tidbits of skills from his former Hall of Fame teammates, like Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards. Moreover, his adaptability had been evident long before that. As a Cup Series rookie, Hamlin dominated the unusually shaped, triangular Pocono Raceway in 2006. And he “somehow adapted quicker than some of the drivers that have been racing there for decades,” Hamlin said.

Joe Gibbs‘s most veteran driver is also the most flexible. Denny Hamlin said that no change is daunting enough for him. “I always want change. Do not let it sit and get too stagnant, because everyone is going to catch up eventually to whatever I feel like my edge is,” he said. “I just do my best to figure out how to make speed out of whatever the change is. If it’s a new tire? All right, educate me. Give me all the information you can…When it’s a new car? All right, the Next Gen (car) has got more drag, less downforce, more grip. How do I need to approach racing tracks now with this kind of car?”

Before the Las Vegas race, Denny Hamlin ramped up his work ethic. He roughly spent about 7 hours in the simulator and went on to win the race.

Hence, Joe Gibbs’s chances for a Cup Series championship are fiery hot this weekend. We cannot wait to see how Denny Hamlin tackles this challenge!