By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
With just two top-10 finishes in the last seven races, Denny Hamlin may be a quiet name in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series as of late.
But Hamlin doesn’t see that lasting long.
“Anybody who thinks I can’t win any given week is crazy,” Hamlin said bluntly.
Entering Pocono Raceway for Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400, Hamlin has been on an admittedly rough month of racing. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was as high as third in driver points early in 2018 and now has fallen to 10th, just eight points ahead of Aric Almirola.
However, with three top fives in the first four races this year, the potential for speed is there and Hamlin has no doubt in his No. 11 Toyota team.
“We can win just about anywhere; we have won just about everywhere,” he said. “Darlington is one specific [track] I am a really good driver at. But each week I look at it and say, ‘I know I can win here.'”
And Pocono is one of those places where Hamlin has stood victorious. Winning his first two Cup races at the Pennsylvania track in 2006, he returned to Victory Lane in 2009 before backing it up in 2010.
Four wins and 10 top fives make Hamlin look at Pocono as a potential kick-off to a hot streak, despite recent results pointing otherwise.
“I’m not close right now, I can tell you that. If you just go off the last few weeks,” he said. “I honestly feel this could be the weekend where suddenly, we didn’t see that coming.”
And to Hamlin’s glee, the team are preparing well for Sunday.
“We’re going to take a little different approach with our setups starting this week,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s a turn in the right direction.”