Denny Hamlin stands on the brink of his first Cup Series title, a chase that’s defined his 21-year career with 60 wins. He is heading into Phoenix ranked second after his own teammate, Chase Briscoe. Hamlin’s consistency this season, with six wins and 12 top fives, has fans buzzing about his confidence. Yet with the finale just days away, every strategy made before the race counts in the showdown.

Phoenix Raceway, with its flat one-mile tri-oval, has mentally disturbed even the sharpest drivers with its demand for precise setups to battle tight or loose handling. Hamlin’s Phoenix history has mixed moments there, like two wins and a few near misses, fueling his drive. As the playoff format resets everything to a single-race gamble, his veteran instincts could tip the scales. And in a fresh podcast sit-down, he laid bare the tweaks that might finally seal the deal.

Denny Hamlin’s radical overhaul

On the Action Detrimental podcast, Hamlin dove straight into the freedom Championship Weekend affords, contrasting it with the usual grind. “Phoenix will be all 200 [pieces of the setup] is on the table,” he said, likening a race car to a Lego set where normal weekends lock in most components after just 20 minutes of practice.

Under standard NASCAR rules, teams can tweak only about 15 parts overnight before Sunday’s race, but the finale’s extended Friday 50-minute session lifts those rules. This shift, detailed in NASCAR’s playoff guidelines, lets crews inspect, test, and rebuild freely, turning potential weaknesses into strengths after full impound on qualifying day.

That openness hits differently at Phoenix, where the track’s low banking demands setups that fight understeer without sacrificing rear grip. Hamlin hinted at leveraging it boldly: “Or maybe you find out something from a teammate that is beneficial, and it’s like, ah, I really want to change. I just want to put their setup in. You can do that.”

With non-playoff drivers from Hendrick and JGR on hand, like Christopher Bell, Hamlin plans to bank on their knowledge of the tracks. He also suggested swapping out the entire car configuration if practice reveals a faster path. It’s a calculated risk, born from years of close calls, like his runner-up finish there in this early season.

This isn’t tinkering; it’s a full reset Hamlin craves. As he told The Athletic, “It’s why I welcome change. I always want change. Do not let it sit and get too stagnant.” His 7.5 simulator before the Vegas race shows the prep behind it, adapting styles to new tires or tracks. At Phoenix, where setups evolve from day to night as rubber wears, this could neutralize rivals’ edges, giving Hamlin’s No. 11 the balance to dominate corners and chase his elusive crown.

With Phoenix’s blueprint sketched, Hamlin turned his eyes back to the grind that shaped the field.

Byron’s Martinsville grit earns Hamlin’s nod

Martinsville’s Xfinity 500 delivered pure chaos, with William Byron fending off Ryan Blaney late in the final stage for the final Championship 4 spot. Hamlin, already locked in from his earlier win, watched from his pit as Byron’s Chevy led 304 laps and held firm through restarts, snagging the win by less than a second. That victory, his second of the playoffs, vaulted Hendrick to two title contenders, underscoring their short-track prowess on the paperclip.

Denny Hamlin didn’t hold back on Byron‘s cool head. “Impressive. It’s all you can say about that drive,” he shared post-race, spotlighting how Byron stayed patient amid the high-pressure race. Blaney’s Team Penske crew pushed hard with superior long-run speed. But for Byron, it was his short bursts of speed from time to time, which he honed through Hendrick’s sim work, that proved decisive, especially after a late caution from Carson Hocevar’s spin reset the field. It’s the kind of edge that echoes Hamlin’s own Martinsville masteries, like his March sweep there this year.

Deeper still, Hamlin saw a star rising. “I thought William showed a ton of poise through the race. Even when he was leading, he was just patient,” he added, calling it one of Byron’s best ever. That move on Blaney? Clean but firm, capitalizing on fresher tires to seal the pass. Now with Byron in the final four, Phoenix faces two Hendrick cars that could swarm the front. Hamlin knows it’ll take more than strategy to crack it.