Denny Hamlin names his pick to win the Xfinity championship among Justin Allgaier, Connor Zilisch, Jesse Love, and Carson Kvapil

On the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin shared his top pick for the Xfinity Series championship four race. The Xfinity Series lineup for the title includes Justin Allgaier, Carson Kvapil, Connor Zilisch, and Jesse Love.

Hamlin began by ranking the drivers by their speed throughout the year. He claimed that the #88 Chevy driver, Zilisch, had the best speed in the 2025 season. Followed by his teammate, the #7 Chevy driver Allgaier, Richard Childress Racing driver Love in the #2 Chevy, and Kvapil in last in his #1 car.

However, Denny Hamlin also believes that Justin Allgaier's experience at Phoenix will give him an edge over his rivals in the championship battle. He further pointed out that the #7 and #88 Chevys will have a close battle for the Xfinity Series throne. Reflecting on that, the JGR driver explained [00:06 onward]:

"Let's just rank them based off of speed all year: 88, 7, 2, 1. The seven car last year was very, very dominant. You got to think he's going to be pretty tough again. But you also got the 88. I think it's still going to be a close one; Justin's experience at Phoenix will counter whatever success that the 88 has had throughout the season."

Further, Hamlin revealed the defending Xfinity Series champion, Justin Allgaier, was his top pick:

"And so I think that's going to be a one, a, 1b type of race, and then Jesse will be right there near them. And then Carson is going to need to find some speed. Then I'll give the nod to Justin. His car is going to be just as prepared as the 88; he's not going to get beat. on equipment… Justin’s my pick."

The JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier has amassed three wins in the 2025 season. Meanwhile, his rookie teammate Connor Zilisch has dominated this season, logging ten wins and eight poles.

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“Nothing would absolutely suck worse”: Denny Hamlin expressed his concerns about his #11 Toyota ahead of the Phoenix race

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has never once won the Cup Series championship title in his career. However, he has a chance to change history this season. But a few scenarios could affect his dream of becoming a champion.

During a previous episode of the same podcast, Hamlin highlighted that his #11 Toyota Camry XSE faced some major issues that needed to be fixed before the race. He pointed out the power steering and stuck throttle issues he faced at Kansas and Talladega previously. Recalling these instances, Hamlin 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."

Denny Hamlin became the first driver to advance to the Phoenix race scheduled for November 2, 2025. He will compete against his teammate Chase Briscoe and Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron to win his maiden Cup Series title.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua