CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Denny Hamlin has never won a NASCAR Cup Series championship.
This may be the 45-year-old’s best chance based on his overall body of work this season.
Hamlin enters the revamped 10-race playoff format — with NASCAR having also revived the “Chase” nickname for its postseason — with a 25-point cushion over second-place Ryan Blaney and an even bigger advantage over the rest of the 16-driver field after finishing the regular season with the most driver points.
The format, which was last used in 2013, is designed to reward performance throughout the entire season among the remaining contenders and provide a larger sample size to determine a champion. Fans have been clamoring for its return because of its simplicity — and the drivers love it, too.
Hamlin, speaking at Wednesday’s playoff media day in Charlotte, called it a “giant leap forward in crowning a champion.”