2025 Could Be Denny Hamlin's Year

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Is 2025 Denny Hamlin’s year? Nope, this isn’t a sarcastic jab or fan banter, but a real possibility considering how good Hamlin has been this year. Five wins for a driver who is supposed to be on the decline at 44. Yet somehow, he continues to defy the odds as he edges closer to a historic milestone.

But not every playoff driver had it their way at Gateway. The Hendrick Chevys once again failed to impress and made the news for all the wrong reasons.

Stage 1: Kyle Busch spun on his own, while Chase Elliott spun off Josh Berry. Early exchanges between drivers were chaotic, but Chase Briscoe grabbed the stage win.

Stage 2: Teams opted for different strategies, allowing Bubba Wallace to run up front and secure the stage win.

Stage 3: Ty Dillon hitting the wall allowed Denny Hamlin to take command of the race. Teams banking on fuel strategies had to make a tough call as the JGR Toyotas battled for the win.

Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 JGR Team sealed their spot in the Round of 16 with a win at Gateway. He became the first driver this season to notch five wins, and is just one win shy of equaling Kevin Harvick’s record. Sixty wins in the NASCAR Cup Series and 10th on the all-time list seem to be Hamlin’s primary objective for now.

This win at Gateway wasn’t total domination by the No. 11 team, but Chris Gayle was on top of his game, calling shots from the pit box and put his driver in position to execute the win. Hamlin led 75 laps, including the final 25, and he did a good job of keeping his teammate, Chase Briscoe, in the rear-view mirror.

As Hamlin climbed out of his car for the interview, he was greeted with a mixed reception. Some cheers, some boos, and his response was an epic mic-drop moment. Here, listen for yourself as Hamlin called out his critics and naysayers.

The big picture here is that Denny Hamlin now has enough cushion to survive a couple of bad races. Apart from Hamlin, the likes of Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney had strong outings with top-five finishes. Bubba Wallace continued his consistent run with another top-10 result. Keep an eye out for the No. 23 team; they are gaining more momentum with every race.

While the winners can bask in their glory and enjoy their success, we also have drivers who find themselves on the edge. Like the battle for most wins and playoffs, there’s a similar survival battle among teams desperately trying to hang on to their spots to reach the next round.

Josh Berry has just been hit with bad luck in his debut NASCAR playoffs. At Darlington, he found himself in an early crash, and the script repeated at Gateway. This time around, he was an innocent bystander as Chase Elliott sent him crashing into the wall during the Stage 1 run. The HMS star came clean by accepting his mistake during the post-race interview.

But an apology isn’t going to overturn Berry’s misfortunes caused by the crash. With just one race to go, he has to cut a 45-point deficit, and nothing but a win would secure his spot in the Round of 12.

Alex Bowman is in a similar predicament as Berry, but mistakes on pit road again came back to bite the HMS driver. After the 40-second pit stop blunder at Darlington, Bowman was caught speeding at Gateway and had to serve a penalty. After the dust settled, the No. 48 Chevy finished the race outside the top 20, not ideal for a playoff driver.

It was a frustrating day for Bowman, and the disappointment was palpable in the post-race interview as well. Even he acknowledged that nothing but a win would do the trick for him at Bristol.

Shane van Gisbergen couldn’t hold onto his track position and battled with his car throughout the race. From +3 to now -15, the Kiwi driver has diluted his playoff points in just two races, and the job just got more challenging with Thunder Valley in sight. Joey Logano managed to climb outside of the cutline, while Austin Dillon is more or less in a similar position.

Continue Reading: Jeff Gordon Hints Big Shake-Up at HMS After Gateway Collapse

How long can Ryan Blaney keep his cool? The Penske star has endured numerous crashes, caught in chaos sparked by his rivals. The regular season was a hard grind for him and he hoped to turn a corner in the playoffs, but at Gateway, he found himself spinning on the racetrack again.

Kyle Larson was the one who kept prodding the No. 12 Ford Mustang until he missed his markers and spun Blaney. The incident happened during Stage 2 when they were battling for fifth place. The Penske driver had no clue what hit him with six laps to go in Stage 2. The No. 5 Chevy, after making a hard corner, slid up the racetrack and caught the rear bumper of Blaney’s car.

Blaney didn’t throw any aggressive blocks or make contact with Larson that warranted this response. Luckily, the Penske driver was able to keep his car away from the wall, and even Larson made a swift pass, avoiding any further contact. Watch the entire sequence of the crash that might alter Blaney’s chances in the playoffs.

The situation could’ve escalated quickly, but Larson acknowledged his mistake and had a chat with Blaney after the race. A fourth-place finish is better than a DNF, and this is probably the reason why Blaney didn’t sound off and instead listened to his rival. However, he made a note of the incident and might resort to similar tricks against Larson.

We all remember Blaney’s Golden Boy rant from last year’s Brickyard 400, which makes this situation more interesting. If push comes to shove, expect Blaney to go elbows out against Larson, who won’t be in a position to argue after his antics at Gateway.

Continue Reading: Ryan Blaney Details Pit Lane Confrontation With Kyle Larson

The Bristol race next weekend marks the end of the first round in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Four drivers who are unable to secure a win or enough points will be eliminated from the title race. As you might have seen above, the playoff standings somewhat paint a picture of the drivers’ chances. But we have identified a few surprise picks and more shuffles within the standings after the Bristol race weekend.

Shane van Gisbergen is up against the odds, and his inexperience on ovals was pretty evident in the last two events. The Kiwi driver would need a win or hope for a wreck-fest to have enough points to advance further. But that’s about it, and his run in the playoffs is likely to end next weekend.

Joining this list is his teammate, Ross Chastain. The Melon Man has disappeared since his Coca-Cola 600 exploits, and in the two playoff races, he has been average at best—11th at Darlington and 24th at Gateway, not the results you’d expect from the No. 1 Chevy team. Consistency has been an issue for this team, and they have only two top-10 finishes in last ten starts.

Adding to this mix of Chevy drivers is Alex Bowman. The HMS driver has hit a slump right at the start of the playoffs. Now, a win is a tall ask from the No. 48 team as they’ve banked on points to qualify for the playoffs, but it won’t be enough to see them through to the next round.

Although Josh Berry is a short-track specialist, it is tough to see him bag a win in a pressure situation. Austin Dillon has enough points to battle it out, and his record on short tracks works in his favor. Back-to-back crashes have hampered the hopes of the No. 21 team, and like the three drivers above, he is expected to be eliminated from the title race at Bristol.

There’s a toss-up between Austin Cindric and Dillon, as one of them could find themselves in a tricky spot if one of the drivers mentioned above bags a win or has a solid points day. It is hard to predict the outcome, but the focus, without a doubt, will be on these drivers at Bristol.

Continue Reading: William Byron Gets Honest on Hendrick Motorsports’ Playoff Woes

Darlington was a disappointment for the HMS fans and Gateway was more or less same. They didn’t pull any punches in calling out the performance in comparison to their rival teams.

Some of the HMS fans could not help but accept the harsh reality of the 2025 NASCAR season

This allowed the rival fans to clap back at Kyle Larson’s best driver tag after he wrecked Blaney during the race.

In all seriousness, some fans asked genuine questions regarding the No. 48 team and Alex Bowman’s future with HMS