Denny Hamlin has yet to win a road course race in the Gen 7 era of NASCAR, but he heads to Circuit of the Americas this weekend boasting a key stat.
According to Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin is the only driver in the series with multiple stage wins at the Texas road course. He won stage 2 last season and in 2022.
These two stage wins haven't helped Hamlin win at the road course, but they have added playoff points to his season-long total. Additionally, the stage win last season helped him secure the seventh-most points on the day (33).
The other drivers to win a stage at Circuit of the Americas are Christopher Bell (2024), Daniel Suarez (2022), Tyler Reddick (2023), William Byron (2023), Joey Logano (2021), and Kyle Busch (2021).
Hamlin has never been a favorite at road courses, so why is he the lone driver with multiple stage wins at Circuit of the Americas? It comes down to strategy.
NASCAR's road course races have taken an interesting twist in the stage era, especially since the introduction of the Gen 7 car. The drivers who think they can win the race will pit before the end of each stage so they can gain track position on the subsequent restart.
Those who don't expect to win will stay out on the track and try to maximize the number of points they can gain. The stat sheet shows that Hamlin has pursued points in recent races at Circuit of the Americas.
Will this trend continue this season? That answer remains unclear. Sunday's Cup race will feature a new layout, which is much shorter with an expected increase in passing zones. It is a layout that Hamlin has tested on the simulator but has not yet grown comfortable with.
"I'll tell you what -- if we get a top 10 this week, then we start to go into the heart of the schedule, I like it," Hamlin said on this week's episode of his "Actions Detrimental" podcast. "...We're all going to have to get used to this short course.
"I know in the SIM, I have a little bit of trouble finding the turn-in at Turn 6 where you shorten the course, so visually, it's a little bit challenging. But I'm looking forward to it."