2014 Driver Reviews: No. 3 Denny Hamlin

After doing exit interviews for Sprint Cup Series drivers in 2013, we’re turning the tables. We want the drivers to sell themselves. So here are the resumés for all full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers in 2014. Then, at the end, we’ll provide a summation of the driver’s season in 150 words or less.

Name: Denny Hamlin

NASCAR Experience: Nine full seasons in the Sprint Cup Series. 24 wins.

Most recent team: Joe Gibbs Racing

Most recent season finish: 3rd

2014 accomplishments: One win, seven top fives and 18-top 10s. Made the final four of the Chase with an average finish of 12.4 through the first nine races of the season.

Most memorable moment: Talladega in the spring, win No. 24 and points-paying restrictor plate win No. 1.

Strengths: Has now won on every type of track save a road course. Has learned from previous championship nervousness.

2015 goals: Win the title and hope that there’s no dropoff at JGR as the team expands to four cars.

FTM’s Take: Hamlin was the perfect example of a driver peaking at the right time in 2014. The first driver to get an exemption from NASCAR to make the Chase despite missing a race, Hamlin was much faster at the end of the year than he was at the beginning, even though his win came in May.

And now he’ll be chasing after a championship with his third crew chief. Darian Grubb is moving to Carl Edwards and Hamlin will work with Dave Rogers, who was Kyle Busch’s crew chief.

Hamlin had five wins in his first season with Grubb. We can’t rule that out with Rogers this year, especially if the Toyotas have the speed they didn’t have last year. Hamlin will once again make the Chase and we’re going to go out on a limb and say that if he makes the Homestead race again in 2015, he’ll do so with a different strategy than simply surviving and advancing.

Previous reviews: No. 4 Joey Logano, No. 5 Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Jeff Gordon, No. 7 Matt Kenseth, No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 9 Carl Edwards, No. 10 Kyle Busch, No. 11 Jimmie Johnson, No. 12 Kurt Busch, No. 13 AJ Allmendinger, No. 14 Greg Biffle, No. 15 Kasey Kahne, No. 16 Aric Almirola, No. 17 Kyle Larson, No. 18, Jamie McMurray, No. 19 Clint Bowyer, No. 20, Austin Dillon, No. 21 Paul Menard, No. 22 Brian Vickers, No. 23 Marcos Ambrose, No. 24 Martin Truex Jr., No. 25 Tony Stewart, No. 26 Casey Mears, No. 27 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 28, Danica Patrick, No. 29, Justin Allgaier, No. 30, David Gilliland, No. 31 Cole Whitt, No. 32 David Ragan, No. 33 Michael Annett, No. 34 Reed Sorenson, No. 35 Alex Bowman