Denny Hamlin isn’t just stacking wins this season—he’s building a narrative. At Martinsville, he launched a campaign that said it loud and clear: “11 Against the World.” After dominating that short track race, Hamlin climbed out of his car and waved a custom flag with those exact words. For him, it wasn’t just another win. It was a statement. Asked about the flag, Hamlin explained it with a smirk. “Well, my buddies are Ohio State fans. They always said, ‘Ohio State Against the World.’ So now, it’s ‘11 Against the World,” he said.
That phrase, born from a locker-room mentality, followed him into Darlington a week later. In a Carl Edwards throwback scheme, no less, he pulled off a dramatic win that only added fuel to his growing campaign. Two races. Two wins. And now, “11 Against the World” isn’t just a saying—it’s a warning. Darlington, the Track Too Tough to Tame, gave Hamlin every reason to fall behind.
Denny Hamlin didn’t lead the most laps. He didn’t have the cleanest day. But when it counted, he had everything he needed—a little luck, a quick pit stop, and a helping hand from Kyle Larson. The 2021 Cup Series champion, who had crashed hard just four laps into the race, was 160 laps down as he crashed again with 4 laps to go. This brought out the overtime and a 2 lap shootout, and this worked out in favor of the JGR driver.
That’s when everything changed. Hamlin was running fifth when the caution hit. But his Joe Gibbs Racing crew fired off the fastest four-tire stop of the day. Hamlin beat everyone off pit road. And when the green flag dropped for overtime, he nailed the restart. That was all he needed. He held off a hungry pack, including William Byron, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Ryan Blaney.
Despite the relentless charge, Hamlin drove clean and stayed focused. And when he crossed the finish line, it marked his second straight win, fifth career victory at Darlington, and 56th Cup Series win overall. It pushed him to 11th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, just ahead of Rusty Wallace. “There’s two people I really love right now. My pit crew and Kyle Larson,” Hamlin said with a grin in post-race.
Denny Hamlin really loves his pit crew and Kyle Larson right now.
Driver No. 11 talks with @ReganSmith after his Darlington victory. #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/9fXguuye2u
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 6, 2025
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