During the duel race at the Daytona International Speedway, Denny Hamlin really overdrove his car. He ran out of fuel on the slowing down lap, but luckily, he was near the pit lane at the time, so it was a short commute back to his pit box.

Speaking of the duel race, he could only muster 13th place, while Aric Almirola won. Admittedly, Hamlin is not doing himself any favors, as he qualified in a lowly 25th place. This will put a damper on his chances of victory in the Daytona 500. However, one can never say never in NASCAR.

As it happens, Denny Hamlin is chasing a unique record in NASCAR. If he does win at the Daytona 500, he will be the first-ever driver to score a hat-trick of wins. Even the legendary Richard Petty has never managed to achieve that feat, even though he is the king of Daytona with seven wins.

What to expect from Denny Hamlin?

Truthfully speaking, the 500 is notorious for producing unexpected results. However, Hamlin will definitely be one of the favorites to win for the third successive season. Of course, he will not have things easy, as there are many contenders in the way. Also, as the saying goes, to finish first, first you have to finish.

As long as Hamlin can make a decent getaway and keep his nose clean, he should be alright. With the race well-known for producing almighty wrecks, Hamlin needs to steer clear of them and place himself in favorable positions.

It is also a matter of timing his runs to perfection so that he will not be caught out by any late chargers. Without a doubt, Denny Hamlin is a hugely talented driver, but anything can happen in the race.

Obviously, he will also have to keep an eye on his fuel gauge, so that he doesn’t run out of fuel again!