NASCAR legend says Denny Hamlin is in his prime at 45 years old

829-race NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Petty has claimed that Denny Hamlin is at the peak of his powers despite being 45 years old.

Petty made the comments in the aftermath of Sunday's Cup Series race at Nashville, where Hamlin got one over on his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe to take his second victory of the season.

In doing so, Hamlin further cemented his place in second position in the Cup Series standings, and took a healthy chunk out of Tyler Reddick's current championship lead, albeit he remains considerably far behind.

The victory also took his total in the next-gen era to 16 - the joint-most along with reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.

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Kyle Petty: Denny Hamlin is in his prime

Analyzing Hamlin's performance on the latest episode of Inside the Race, Petty claims that despite his age, we're now seeing the best version of the Joe Gibbs Racing star there has ever been.

“What we have seen in the last 12, 18 months is the greatest period of Denny Hamlin's career,” Petty said.

“He is doing things that he didn't do before. Denny Hamlin schooled Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe.

"The veteran showed them how you win a race with a car that’s not the fastest car.

“He snookers them into driving off in the corner, way over their heads, way over their heads, and he comes out on top, and they can’t come back.”

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What makes Denny Hamlin so good at 45?

Most drivers tend to decline with age, but Hamlin has continued to get better.

Speaking post-race on Sunday, the Joe Gibbs Racing star shared what he thought set himself and his team apart.

"So I don’t know, the drivers play more of a factor now. Certainly the process that we have on our 11 car, I think, sets us apart from others," he explained. "Then just I think it’s our ability to keep learning. This was a great example of it.

"I don’t know why I still have the speed that I have, but I just, I approach every weekend the same as I always have, but I keep a large notebook every week, and I just go through it, and I jot things down that I think are important that are going to make me win next time if I fail this time.

"I don’t know, I love the process more than I love winning, truthfully."