“Still Bothers Me”: Jeff Burton Dismisses Denny Hamlin Making Peace With 19-YO Championship Drought, Reveals A Similar Regret

Racing for 19 years without a Cup Series title can be quite hard and that's exactly the situation that Denny Hamlin is in. The driver, who is now a veteran in the sport, is yet to win his first championship despite being in the playoffs 18 times. The closest he has gotten to the title was in 2010, when he finished second, but ever since then, it's been tough seasons for him.

At this point, many are rooting for Denny Hamlin to win the title, as that happens to be one of the last achievements he is left to secure before he decides to pass on the mantle. Jeff Gordon, a veteran NASCAR driver, spoke about Denny Hamlin's situation of not winning a championship and he brought up his personal experience of not having a title and how it affected him. Although a driver like Carl Edwards is quite content with not having a title in their name, Gordon was a different case, so let's dive into what he has to say about Hamlin not winning a title.

Jeff Gordon's two cents to Denny Hamlin on not winning a title Denny Hamlin is not just a NASCAR driver but also the co-owner of 23XI Racing. In the past, there have been many drivers who started their own team; however, Hamlin is a non-champion driver to do so. It's only obvious that being a Cup Series champion adds to the legacy of the team, and since Michael Jordan has achieved more than most athletes in any discipline, Hamlin would like to get on the same page.

Recently, the Beating and Banging YouTube Channel put out a video that speaks about a few current affairs in NASCAR. Along with that came the topic of Denny Hamlin and his championship. The host, Kyle Dalton, discussed Hamlin's need to win a championship while recalling what Jeff Burton had to say about the situation. According to Dalton, Jeff Burton stated, "I went into Martinsville with a pretty decent lead; we broke an engine, and coming home, I don't know why, but I kind of knew that was it."

He added, "I was saying all the right things, and I was believing all the right things, but deep inside of me, I had a moment where I went, 'It's not going to happen.' You know, my age and everything—it just doesn't feel good. It feels like this is it." Gordon explained how it feels to be so close to the title and how he felt towards the end of his career. He continued to say, "And unfortunately, that feeling was correct. You do start wondering, 'Am I going to get it done?' Especially with as many races as he has won, it's only natural."

Burton then complimented Denny Hamlin 's achievements in the sport before stating, "As good as he is, as many good things as he's done, that's the thing that's left. He says the right things; he says it's not going to define his career, but I can tell you, as a guy that didn't win a championship, it's damn hard to get over it." Revealing his biggest regret in life, Jeff Gordon then shared the most important piece of advice, saying, "Even at my age now, it still bothers me that I never won a championship."

Jeff Gordon is known as a legend in the NASCAR scene, and despite the respect and fame that he has earned during his run, he still regrets not winning the title during his time. Today, Gordon is 53 years old, and despite all the time that went by, he still thinks about his missed chances at the title. Denny Hamlin must have made it into the top 8 in the playoffs; however, he sits in the elimination zone as of now. So that begs the question: will he be able to pull it through and win the title this year?

How can Denny Hamlin win the title in 2024? Denny Hamlin has a few good things going on for him as he enters the top 8. Not only is he just 8 points below the cutoff, but luck is by his side as the upcoming races are all on ovals. If there is one thing that Hamlin is confident about, it's racing on the conventional NASCAR format tracks. With the upcoming tracks being all speedways, there is a chance that Hamlin can get out of the elimination zone and fight for the top 4.

Unfortunately for Denny Hamlin, he has not been able to win a race in any of the 4 circuits left on the calendar ever since the Next Gen cars were introduced. This makes it seem difficult for him to be able to clutch a win in the last moments to head into the final round of the playoffs. However, although Hamlin has not won at the upcoming tracks, he has placed in the top 10 over the last two years, except the 2023 Homestead-Miami race.

Although Hamlin started the season strong, he fell off in the middle only to find his momentum during the playoffs. Considering this, do you think that Hamlin can surprise fans by getting into the top 4 and actually winning the title? Share your thoughts in the comments below.