Denny Hamlin is only three wins away from 60, the 10th-most in Cup Series history. And while he knows he won't stay in the top 10 forever, he just wants to hit this milestone before the end of his life.
"I forever want to be in the top 10. It's not going to be forever," Hamlin said after winning at Michigan, his 57th trip to victory lane. "There's going to be someone that comes down the line that's going to be the best ever.
"They're going to win a lot. At least while I'm alive I want to be in the top 10 for the most wins. I just love knocking 'em off one by one. Certainly getting three already this year is putting me on pace to where I think I need to be."
Even at the age of 44, Hamlin remains competitive. He has won at Martinsville, Darlington, and Michigan this season. He has finished top three in three other races. Hamlin has at least two wins in each of the last seven seasons and in 10 of the last 11. This stretch includes a six-win season and a seven-win season.
So while Hamlin has put himself solidly in contention to be top 10 in Cup Series wins before retiring, he doesn't remain confident that he will stay there for a long time. The reason is the level of competition in NASCAR and the fact that he got his full-time start at the age of 25.
Multiple other drivers got their start at much younger ages, which gave them half a decade of extra starts. This list includes a three-time Cup Series champion with 37 career wins and a one-time champion with 26 wins since 2021.
"I got to count on possibly (Joey) Logano, more than likely (Kyle) Larson overtaking us in wins," Hamlin said. "You got to budget for at least a couple of these guys that started so much younger than I did to beat us on the win total."
There is nothing new about watching younger drivers win more races. That's just the nature of sports. Hamlin certainly won't be able to prevent this from happening after he walks away from full-time Cup schedules.
What he can do, however, is continue to chase a different milestone while trying to put himself into the top 10 in wins.
20 drivers have made more than 700 starts in NASCAR. Only 10 have reached victory lane. According to Daniel Cespedes, Richard Petty has the most wins after 700 starts with 22. But he also made 1,184 starts in the Cup Series, so his winning percentage in this stretch was 4.54.
Jeff Gordon actually has the best percentage among the drivers who won after making 700 starts. He visited victory lane six times in 105 starts (5.71%). This is a milestone that Hamlin feels he could surpass, considering how competitive he continues to be.
"I look at the names that have won multiple. I think Jeff Gordon has the most, right? It's like these guys, I can't hold their helmet back," Hamlin said. "They're better than I am. I know they're better than I am because I've raced against them.
"It just feels good because I'm going to hate it when I'm not at the level I'm at now. I certainly will retire very, very quickly after that. I'm not going to hang around and do it just to do it. This is how I want to spend my last season, is like still winning, you know? I'm going to keep going.
"I would love to beat that record. If I do, then I'm going to put myself in the mid 60s in wins."