Denny Hamlin may have bigger hardware on his mind over the next 10 weeks, but NASCAR's top driver through the first 26 races of 2026 finally has a trophy to show for it.
Hamlin finished the regular season atop the NASCAR Cup Series standings, securing the No. 1 seed for the newly revived Chase and a 25-point advantage over Ryan Blaney entering Sunday's postseason opener at Darlington Raceway.
There was just one unusual detail.
With NASCAR returning to a 10-race Chase format this season, the sanctioning body moved away from the official "regular-season champion" designation and trophy that had accompanied the previous playoff system.
Hamlin still got one anyway.
#blaney
Hamlin finished the regular season atop the NASCAR Cup Series standings, securing the No. 1 seed for the newly revived Chase and a 25-point advantage over Ryan Blaney entering Sunday's postseason opener at Darlington Raceway.
There was just one unusual detail.
With NASCAR returning to a 10-race Chase format this season, the sanctioning body moved away from the official "regular-season champion" designation and trophy that had accompanied the previous playoff system.
Hamlin still got one anyway.
#blaney
4 days ago
