Racing Insights: Denny Hamlin's triple play is in the cards at Bristol

Four weeks removed from when Christopher Bell won three races in a row, now his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, has a chance to accomplish the same feat this Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Bristol weekend schedule

Hamlin has already etched his name as a legend within the sport with 56 career Cup wins and sole possession of 11th place on the all-time wins list. Now, with the chance to secure a third consecutive victory, he is poised to join an elite group of drivers over 40 years old to achieve such a feat, alongside icons like Harry Gant, Bobby Allison, Kevin Harvick, and David Pearson.

On Sunday, Hamlin will make his 400th consecutive Cup Series start, dating back to missing the 2014 Fontana race. He will do so at a track where he enters as the defending race winner. In 35 career starts at the “Last Great Colosseum,” Hamlin has established himself as one of the best gladiators to conquer the high banks, with five consecutive top-10 finishes at Bristol, including two wins in the last three races there.

Hamlin is widely regarded as a favorite to win in Thunder Valley, particularly given his recent success on short tracks. Of course, he won the most recent short-track race at Martinsville in dominant fashion, leading 274 laps and owns 11 top-five finishes over the last 14 short-track races, including four wins.

Another victory at Bristol would not only give Joe Gibbs Racing its sixth win in nine races, but it would also make Hamlin the organization’s all-time wins leader, surpassing Kyle Busch. Additionally, it would mark the 30th occurrence in the modern era of a driver winning three consecutive races, with 12 of those instances resulting in a series title that season — and it’s no secret how much the Bill France Cup has eluded Hamlin throughout his illustrious career.

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OTHER DRIVERS TO WATCH

KYLE LARSON: Racing Insights forecasts another close battle between Hamlin and Larson. The No. 5 driver comes in as the most recent Bristol winner, he has 1,351 laps led, five stage wins and seven top fives at Bristol in his career.

CHRISTOPHER BELL: JGR as a whole has been superb at Bristol, leading 957 of 2,000 laps at the short track since 2022. Bell is one of four drivers to finish every Bristol race in the Next Gen car in the top 10, with three of those four races resulting in finishes of fifth or better.

TY GIBBS: Gibbs netted his first top 10 since Kansas last fall at Darlington last week. While it’s been a slow start to the season, a top-15 finish the week prior at Martinsville signals a turnaround for the No. 54 team. At Bristol, Gibbs has recorded two top 10s with a finish of ninth in this race a year ago.

RYAN BLANEY: Blaney ended a five-race streak without a top 10 finish last week at Darlington. While he’s never won at Bristol in 16 career starts, he does own six top 10s there and has led 507 laps — his second most at a track. Plus, he has two wins in the last six short-track races.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE FOOD CITY 500 

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results. Updated on race day with practice and qualifying factored in.

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