In NASCAR, there’s a long-running belief that young Cup Series drivers need around 100 starts before they can truly be judged (with respect to their first win). It’s become almost an unofficial grace period, often used by drivers themselves, whenever expectations aren’t met. But Denny Hamlin has absolutely no patience for that logic. While discussing driver development, Hamlin tore into the idea and even used one of NASCAR’s biggest stars, Chase Elliott, to prove why waiting around for start No. 100 to get into Victory Lane is just an excuse.

Denny Hamlin rejects NASCAR’s “100 starts rule”

Denny Hamlin’s comments, urged by Corey Heim’s historic win, came on a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast. At San Diego, Corey Heim claimed his first Cup race win, and he did it in fewer than 20 races started, making him part of a rare group.

“That 100 starts thing is for losers. I think it’s for people that are just trying to buy time. I mean there’s a few exceptions like the Chase Elliotts, that it took a minute. 100 starts?! You need three years? I don’t agree with that. You got to show me something. It’s really really hard to win in the Cup Series.

“Even before Chase won in year whatever it was, he showed he could win far beyond well before his 100th start. Like you knew it was just a matter of time. Others, I feel like, are using it as, ‘You know, I just don’t have a whole lot of experience and by start 100, we’re gonna start contending.’ I don’t buy into that,” Hamlin said.

However, Denny Hamlin’s argument isn’t that every driver should win immediately. He knows that’s asking too much. Hamlin instead believes that if someone truly belongs at the top level, there should be signs long before milestone start numbers arrive. That’s why he referenced none other than Chase Elliott.

Chase Elliott’s first Cup win came in his 99th start, which was the 2018 Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International, where he held off reigning champ Martin Truex Jr. by 7+ seconds. But before that win, in a career that began in 2016, Elliott had eight second-place finishes, including four runner-up results in the 2017 playoffs alone. The results hadn’t arrived, but the ability was never in question. And so he went on to win the Cup championship in 2020 and now holds 23 Cup victories.

Historically, some of NASCAR’s biggest names didn’t wait around either.

Kevin Harvick won in his third Cup start, beating Jeff Gordon by 0.006 seconds at Atlanta in 2001, under circumstances that could have broken most rookies, having been thrust into the spotlight as Dale Earnhardt’s replacement just weeks after Earnhardt’s death. Brad Keselowski got there in his fifth start. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 106 laps to win at Texas Motor Speedway in his twelfth start. Hamlin himself won his first Cup race at the 2006 Pocono 500 in his rookie season. He then finished third in the final standings that year, the best points finish for a Cup rookie since 1966.

Even the ones who waited unbelievably long had enough on their resumes to keep trying. For instance, the legendary Michael Waltrip had to wait a record 462 races to get his first win. Similarly, Sterling Marlin spent almost two decades trying to find victory lane before breaking through at the 1994 Daytona 500 (his 279th start). And finally, there’s Dale Jarrett, the 1999 Cup Series Champion and Hall of Famer, who did not taste victory lane until his 129th career start, winning an absolute thriller at Michigan International Speedway in 1991.

These examples perfectly match Denny Hamlin’s beliefs. Elite talent doesn’t count.