With just a handful of races remaining before the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Denny Hamlin is firmly in control of the regular season championship. Hamlin leads the standings with 842 points, holding a 68-point advantage over Tyler Reddick and an 87-point cushion over Ryan Blaney.
While the battle isn’t officially over, the odds are clearly in Hamlin’s favor. Reddick and Blaney are both capable of putting together strong finishes, but they would likely need Hamlin to have multiple poor races while also consistently finishing near the front themselves. Given Hamlin’s speed and consistency throughout the season, that is a difficult scenario to envision.
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team has been one of the most complete groups in the garage, combining race-winning pace with steady point-scoring performances. Unless something unexpected happens over the final stretch of the regular season, Hamlin appears well on his way to capturing the NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship and the valuable playoff bonus points that come with it.