Denny Hamlin clinches No. 1 seed in Cup Series Chase

Here's the thing about a machine running this clean: Denny Hamlin is simply locked in. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has officially locked down the No. 1 seed for the 16-driver field in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase following Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

That top spot didn't just fall into his lap, either. Hamlin grabbed the points lead away from 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick back in June after Sonoma Raceway and simply refused to let go, staying at the absolute peak of the series standings for seven straight weeks through the summer to lock down his postseason ranking.

Because of that hard work, the reward is massive. When the green flag drops for the opening postseason round at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 6, Hamlin will start with a 25-point buffer over second place.

Sunday's seventh-place result at New Hampshire pushed his average finish for the season to an incredible 8.1—putting him right on track for a career-best mark in his 21st full-time season. Even wilder? He has completed every single lap of every race this year except for just two circuits all the way back in the season-opening Daytona 500.

"I feel good about where our team's at," Hamlin said after Loudon. "Everyone's kind of clicking well and don't have a whole lot of weaknesses. We're not as strong as the Penske cars on these types of race tracks. But you know, Martinsville, we are good. Phoenix, we’ve been good. It’s just over the last few, this just has not been a strong three or four weeks. And when I say not strong, it’s you know top fives and top sevens. It’s something we can work with and the mile-and-a-halfs is certainly something that has been our strength for a couple years now. So looking forward to getting The Chase started and see where it goes."