With the YellaWood 500 kicking off the Round of 8, Joe Gibbs Racing holds a strong hand with Denny Hamlin, who’s already locked into the Championship 4, while Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe just loom above the cutline. But across the garage sit Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, at the bottom, desperate for a win.

One push from a teammate can crown a hero, or if traded lightly, can pack up the day. And Hamlin, free from elimination pressure, will do anything to anchor JGR’s ship from the charging Penske waves at the Dega.

Denny Hamlin embraces team-first mindset at Talladega

Denny Hamlin didn’t mince words on an X post by Bob Pockrass, revealing his playbook for the YellaWood 500. When pressed on yielding a win to a teammate, he fired back without hesitation: “Yeah, sure. I think that’s kind of, in my opinion, one of my responsibilities of the weekend is making sure I can do anything I can to help a teammate.”

Denny Hamlin has already clinched a spot in the Champ 4 with his Vegas win. He talks his strategy and working with his teammates today at Talladega as well as what-if situations for Phoenix depending on who wins: @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/spKedUDMiy

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 19, 2025

It’s a stance born from years of near misses, including Hamlin’s three top-3 finishes in title fights, in which he faced a heartbreaking 2020 Phoenix loss to Chase Elliott. Now, with his No. 11 Toyota secure, he’s flipping the script, prioritizing JGR unity over personal glory to counter Penske’s stranglehold on late-season success.

Hamlin’s resolve even gets sharper when facing Team Penske‘s playoff predators. Hamlin elaborated on preferring a teammate in the mix: “So be it. If anything, I’d rather push a teammate to a victory and then know that I’m racing them straight up at Phoenix with the same exact stuff. To me, that would actually be more gratifying because I know that there’s no mechanical advantage.”

And this caution by Hamlin is justified by Penske’s track record; Blaney‘s clutch 2023 Martinsville victory, a last-lap pass on Aric Almirola, punched his ticket to the Final 4 and eventual championship. Logano, meanwhile, embodies lucky escapes, like his 2024 Charlotte Roval advance after Alex Bowman’s post-race DQ dropped him into the Round of 8, paving the way for his third title. At Talladega, where Logano and Blaney both boast three Cup wins, Bell and Briscoe can’t afford solo runs.

Bell himself captured the delicate balance, telling reporters, “Denny being locked in, the outcome of the race doesn’t matter for him, we’d like for him to push the 19 or the 20, he’s got everything to lose and nothing to gain.” His uncertainty underscores Talladega’s risks; Hamlin’s past wrecks there, like the 2013 pileup, highlight why self-preservation tempts even the selfless.

Yet Bell’s plea ties back to JGR‘s shared history, from their 2020 Talladega 1-2 finish to Hamlin’s veteran guidance in pack racing. With Penske lurking, Hamlin’s buy-in could rewrite the playoff board.

Hamlin’s focus, however, stretches past Talladega’s draft lines, hinting at a championship hunger that’s anything but satisfied. As he shifts gears toward the finale…

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Hamlin’s Phoenix focus takes shape

Fresh off clinching his spot in the final four, Hamlin opened up about the emotional weight of his Vegas breakthrough, admitting, “I’m probably softer than what I put off… I just know how much work it took for this to happen. It didn’t just happen. It wasn’t just luck.” That raw reflection, shared amid dedications to his ailing father, reveals a driver who’s chased this title for 20 seasons, and his 60th career win ties Kevin Harvick for 10th all-time.

Free from must-win desperation, Hamlin can now scout Phoenix‘s flat banking, where he’s notched two victories, plotting lines against whoever joins him.

He doubled down on seizing chances ahead, noting, “It will take a few days for it all to sink in… Maybe y’all played recreational sports as a kid, had that game-winning moment, but it’s just so big for me personally because this is what I do.” Martinsville looms next, a track where Hamlin shows dominance with six wins, fueling talk of back-to-back triumphs before Phoenix.

This mindset, blending vulnerability with a veteran edge, positions him not just to defend JGR’s honor but to finally etch his name on the trophy.