Denny Hamlin may not have won a Cup Series title in his tenure so far, but the JGR driver boasts an illustrious NASCAR career that most drivers would envy. On his way to possibly becoming the most successful active driver in the Cup Series, Hamlin has set his sights on owning a few more records by the time the 2026 season is done. And one of those records could come his way at Martinsville this weekend.
How Denny Hamlin Can Tie Rusty Wallace at Martinsville Speedway
Last season, Hamlin came as close as he could have come to winning the Cup Series title, but a late-race caution flipped the script and handed the championship to Kyle Larson. Bouncing back from perhaps the biggest setback of his Cup Series career, Hamlin has been enjoying immense success in the 2026 season as well, with most of it coming as a team co-owner.
With Tyler Reddick registering one win after another, Hamlin is a happy team co-owner. Meanwhile, the driver of the No. 11 car isn’t too far behind, having won the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube in Las Vegas.
Hamlin, a six-time winner at Martinsville, has taken the pole position for the Cook Out 400 and has the perfect setup for a milestone feat.
The iconic Rusty Wallace is a highly successful driver at Martinsville, with 7 victories. Should Hamlin win Sunday’s race, he will tie Wallace’s mark, and the 45-year-old is confident he will be able to do so.
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Speaking to the media after taking the pole position ahead of William Byron, Hamlin reflected on how good his car was and how he did what he was hoping to do on the track.
“I was hoping to get somewhere in that top eight for qualifying. But just, really concentrated on hitting my marks, doing what I needed to do. They did a great job with the adjustments, and certainly that’s going to be a great place to start.”
Hamlin also detailed his expectations for the new horsepower package at Martinsville, given that it failed to deliver any spectacular incidents at Darlington last weekend.
The 45-year-old is hopeful that the new package will shift the race’s overall tone and yield some interesting incidents.
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What Hamlin has understood from the practice session is that there will be good-handling cars and bad-handling cars on race day, and the biggest challenge on Sunday will be to maneuver around the latter.
Ultimately, it will all come down to whether Hamlin can capitalize on a pole position at Martinsville, which will not only tie him with Wallace but also bring him one win closer to Kyle Busch’s active record of 63 Cup Series race wins.