Denny Hamlin chases historic 4th Daytona 500 win on the heels of heartbreak

DAYTONA BEACH — Denny Hamlin has driven without fear, doubt or hesitation for more than two decades, especially at Daytona International Speedway.

But the cocksure NASCAR star arrived at the storied track still shaken, a bit unsure and curious how he would respond to the emotions of recent months.

Hamlin will seek his fourth Daytona 500 victory Sunday with fire in his belly and a heavy heart after losing both his championship bid and his ailing father within two months to close 2025. Amid the professional and personal turmoil, Hamlin’s 23XI Racing team — which he co-owns with Michael Jordan — also settled an antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR.

Add continued recovery from 2023 shoulder surgery, and it’s little wonder the 45-year-old begins his 21st season searching.

“Certainly, I would be lying if I said I am as highly motivated as I’ve been in years past,” he said. “Every day at the racetrack, I’m getting there. I know I’m way too competitive to just go through the motions. As we get on the racetrack and go through practices and qualifying, we are slowly getting there.”

Hamlin’s success has been built on aggressiveness, composure and a sixth sense at high speeds.

No track demands all three more than the 2.5-mile oval at Daytona International Speedway, where Hamlin has risen to rare air.

On Sunday, he aims to become just the third driver in 68 years to win the Great American Race four times, joining seven-time winner Richard Petty and four-time winner Cale Yarborough.

Hamlin has failed to capitalize in five opportunities since his third victory in 2020 at age 39. Other than 2022, when a crash ended his day on Lap 63, he was in contention until misfortune struck late.

“That four number certainly was on my mind on the last lap last year when we were leading — that we were going to get another one,” he said. “I’ve been really lucky to have the opportunities I’ve had to win these races, but also very unfortunate in the Next Gen era not to have won more. I feel as though the opportunity will be there, and hopefully we can put ourselves in position to move up that Daytona 500 winner’s board.”

Petty and Yarborough are among six drivers to win the Daytona 500 in their 40s. Hamlin would become the oldest since Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 victory at age 46.

Earnhardt’s lone 500 win, three years before his tragic death on the final lap of the 2001 race, remains one of the most celebrated moments in NASCAR history.

A Hamlin victory — as the oldest full-time driver in the Cup Series — would provide another stirring chapter, especially given recent events.

His chance at a first Cup Series championship — the only thing missing from his Hall of Fame résumé — slipped away late in the Nov. 2 season finale at Phoenix. A caution while Hamlin held a sizable lead with three laps remaining reshuffled the field. After pitting, his No. 11 Toyota restarted 11th.

Hamlin finished fifth, allowing third-place finisher Kyle Larson to claim the season title despite a 25-race drought.

Compounding the crushing disappointment was Dennis Hamlin’s declining health back home in Stanley, North Carolina. The man who sacrificed for his son and guided his rise through the ranks was unlikely to see him race again.

Then, on Dec. 28, a house fire killed Hamlin’s father at age 75 and critically injured his mother, Mary Lou, 69, who is recovering from burns.

“She’s doing better,” Hamlin said. “She’s down at Daytona.”

Family is never far from Hamlin’s mind. A Tampa native who grew up outside Richmond, Virginia, he has long leaned on those closest to him.

After prevailing in Las Vegas last October, he dedicated his 60th Cup Series victory to his father. On June 11, Hamlin and his fiancée, Jordan Fish, welcomed their third child, Jameson Drew Hamlin.

Then there is his bond with Hall of Fame team owner Joe Gibbs.

Gibbs’ late son, J.D., discovered Hamlin as a brash, talented teenager racing local tracks and convinced his father — the three-time Super Bowl-winning coach — to bring him into the fold.

Over time, the former football coach and promising young driver forged a special bond that has endured through triumph and tragedy.

“Joe beat me to the hospital that night,” Hamlin said. “He’s unbelievable as a leader, and obviously he’s been through it. It’s been that way since he became my at-track dad.”

During Dennis Hamlin’s illness, Gibbs visited every week or two.

“He talked stories with him, prayed with him,” Hamlin said. “My dad was really trying to get right with the Lord last year, and Joe helped with that. I know my dad really, really appreciated it.”

Hamlin has repaid Gibbs with results.

Joe Gibbs Racing has captured five Cup championships — Bobby Labonte in 2000, Tony Stewart in 2002 and 2005, and Kyle Busch in 2015 and 2019. Hamlin was on the verge of adding another until the final moments at Phoenix.

On Sunday, he will try to deliver another Daytona 500 trophy.

Hamlin will set aside a devastating offseason and swirling emotions once he straps in. If the No. 11 car is near the front late, a fourth Daytona 500 could await at the finish line.

“Everyone’s heart rate rises as it gets closer to the end … adrenaline starts to hit,” he said. “The ones who can slow the game down and make the crucial decisions at the end usually win. You just have to find a way to slow it all down.”