Denny Hamlin details what needs to fall his way to capture career-first NASCAR Cup Series championship

NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin was featured in an interview with SiriusXM ahead of the Championship 4 race. During the pre-race interaction, Hamlin opened up about 'the key' to winning his career-first Cup Series championship.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has delivered a phenomenal performance in the 2025 season. He clinched his spot in the season finale race at Phoenix Raceway after a hiatus of three years. The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver has come close to winning the Cup Series championship but has yet to win one. He finished the 2021 season in third place with 5034 points.

Denny Hamlin has dominated this season, but he still faces some struggles with his #11 Toyota Camry. He suffered from braking, power steering, and a stuck throttle throughout the season. Keeping that in mind, the JGR driver told SiriusXM the key to winning his first-ever championship title. He stated:

"It means that we executed Phoenix to the best of our ability. I mean, that is the key! Uh… I don’t think we’re gonna be lacking speed or any of the stuff that you need as you’re running those 312 laps." "It’s just the variables, I think, if we win it, it’ll be because all the variables went our way. They haven’t in the past — sometimes we just weren’t fast enough, sometimes we got an unlucky break. But I think if the things we can’t control go in our favor, then I think that’s gonna be the deciding factor," he added.

Denny Hamlin will compete in the Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway on November 2, 2025. He will compete against his JGR teammate Chase Briscoe and Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson in the 312-lap race.

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“Nothing would absolutely suck worse”: Denny Hamlin got candid about losing the NASCAR Cup Series championship this year

Denny Hamlin, a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, has the opportunity to make history this season with his exceptional performance. The #11 driver has a chance to secure his maiden championship title and achieve his childhood dream.

However, the feat might not come easily for Hamlin. During an episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, the JGR driver pointed out that the team needs to work on a few issues before the Phoenix race. He pointed out his struggles at Kansas and Talladega, where he dealth with a stuck throttle and power steering issues.

Reflecting on the same, Denny Hamlin claimed these problems need to be fixed ahead of the last race. He stated:

“Yeah, it’s really, really frustrating because we want our results dictated by our performance on the racetrack. Nothing would absolutely suck worse than to go to Phoenix and have a mechanical (issue) or something happen that takes away (my) opportunity to achieve (my) dream."

Hendrick Motorsports ace Kyle Larson is the only driver in the Championship Four mix who has won the title beforehand. Both Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, alongside William Byron, will compete to win their career-first title.

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Edited by Karan Yadav