NASCAR star Denny Hamlin issues verdict on chasing down Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt

When all is said and done, NASCAR star Denny Hamlin does not believe he will surpass the likes of Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt on the all-time Cup Series win list.

Hamlin entered the top 10 last fall with a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and claimed 10th spot outright at the same track last Sunday, earning the 61st victory of his Cup Series career.

The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota now has Busch in his sights, who sits ninth on the list with 63 Cup Series victories, while the legendary Earnhardt is in eighth spot on 76 wins.

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Will Denny Hamlin surpass Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt?

Despite them being next up, though, Hamlin does not believe he can chase and surpass those names.

“I think it's pie in the sky," Hamlin told the media at Darlington when asked if he'd thought about surpassing Busch and Earnhardt.

"Realistically, I think that, you know, given the runway, Kyle's (Busch) career - he's still got more years to go than I will. He's capable of running and winning long after I'm gone.

"I think I'm kind of where I'm at, and where I think I will be, but you just never know. I mean, each win stacks up and, you know, 50 was a goal at one point. So, you just keep moving, keep moving the bar as far as you can.

"I think that I've certainly got more wins than what I would have imagined. It's just now can we, can we get the big prizes at the end of the year? That's the only goal left to have other than the Brickyard is certainly one that still is mindful of me personally, of where I'm at.”

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Hamlin on 67-win goal

Hamlin has stated on multiple occasions that his target for the end of his career, which is likely to come at the end of 2027, is 67 wins.

But how did the Joe Gibbs Racing star come to that target?

“Just averages over the years," Hamlin explained to the media. "If you average the last 10 years or something like that, it's about 3.5 wins a year.

"That puts me right around that number. That's assuming that I don't wake up in 2027 and have a declining skill set.

"That's why it's still a goal. It's not the pie in the sky, but it's still going to take some work to do.”

Hamlin's first opportunity to take another step towards that target comes at Darlington today (Sunday, March 22) in the Goodyear 400 - the race he won last spring.