Denny Hamlin cites new maturity for his turnaround

Driver, 38, remains in contention for 1st Cup championship.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Denny Hamlin hasn’t finished lower than fifth since early July and his current six-race streak includes two wins, a pair of runner-ups and a thirdplace finish.

A year removed from the first winless season of his NASCAR career, Hamlin is a title threat again. He is third in the standings, tied with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., and has the confidence to finally grab his first championship.

Hamlin heads to Darlington Raceway for Sunday night’s Southern 500 as a two-time winner there, and his average finish on one of the most challenging tracks in NASCAR is sixth.

After patiently chasing down Matt DiBenedetto in the closing laps at Bristol, Hamlin briefly revealed he has put in personal work this year to be more accountable while focusing on improving himself overall.

“I just think eventually you get older,” said Hamlin, who turns 39 at the end of the season, has been racing full-time in Cup for 14 years and is father to two young daughters. “I got a couple kids now, seeing them grow up, (I’m) just doing a lot of growth on and off the racetrack. As I’ve focused on being a better person outside the race car, ... it’s directly linked to my on-track performance.” Hamlin won at least one race in each of his first 12 seasons and in 2010 and 2014 had clear shots to win the Cup title only to squander both opportunities. The 2010 failure to Jimmie Johnson eventually led Hamlin to a sports psychologist, but the recent changes have been driven solely by Hamlin.

“More so than anything, I’ve just grown up,” he said. “Everyone is imperfect. You’ve got to embrace it.”

Joe Gibbs has seen the changes this season, which also coincide with the pairing of a new crew chief. Chris Gabehart led Hamlin to a season-opening Daytona 500 victory — his second Daytona win — and immediately put last year’s winless season behind the No. 11 team.

The win came less than a month after the death of JGR executive J.D. Gibbs, who is credited with discovering Hamlin and bringing him to the powerhouse NASCAR team. Joe Gibbs believe Gabehart has been steady for Hamlin, and that winning races in honor of J.D. Gibbs has been a motivating factor.

“I think Chris deserves a lot of credit. I think he’s really got Denny grounded,” Gibbs said. “I think when you get a lot of confidence going with the crew chief.”

Gabehart doesn’t think he’s done anything beyond developing chemistry with Hamlin. “I think fortunately we got off on a good foot, Denny and I, this race team,” Gabehart said. “Over time he’s just realized that if he stays in the game, we’re going to have a shot at it.”