Did Chase Elliott have a better 2024 than Denny Hamlin? All you need to know about the HMS & JGR superstars’ recent season
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott did not have a better 2024 than the Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin on the track. Elliott had a rough start at the Busch Light Clash race, while Hamlin cruised through the track and secured an easy win.
Elliott secured a single win in the 2024 season at the Texas Motor Speedway and secured his spot in the playoffs, whereas Hamlin finished P30. After that, the Hendrick Motorsport driver didn't secure a win all season. He clinched 19 top-10 and 11 top-five finishes.
On the other hand, Hamlin secured three wins in the 2024 season—two more than Elliott. He clinched 18 top-10 and 12 top-five finishes in 36 starts. Furthermore, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver bagged four pole positions, while Elliott failed to claim even a single pole in the entire season.
However, both drivers failed to punch their Championship Four tickets at the Xfinity 500 held at the Martinsville race on November 3, 2024. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney won the race, surpassing both the Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the race.
Elliott qualified for the race in P2, while Hamlin was the last driver on the grid after the qualifying laps. The former led stage one of the race, and the latter jumped 12 places, finishing in P15. By the end of stage 2, Hamlin got into the top three contenders of the race, but this still was not enough to win.
Blaney won the race and Chase Elliott finished as the runner-up, just 2.593 seconds behind him. Denny Hamlin finished fifth and both drivers lost their chance to enter the Championship 4 race.
Chase Elliott reacted to Denny Hamlin's 'race wins first'
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott expressed his views on Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin's mentality regarding race and championship wins in May 2024.
Hamlin has been part of the sport for more than two decades and secured 54 wins, but he hasn't won a championship title yet. However, he mentioned that he would take a 60-win legacy over a championship title any day, rather than having 20 wins and a championship title.
"I care about wins and winning every single week because in the end I absolutely would take 60-some wins and no championship over 20 and one. It’s just not even close," stated Denny Hamlin during a press conference at Dover Motor Speedway.
Elliot, who has 19 wins and a Cup Series Championship title, was asked to express his views on Hamlin's comments. He mentioned that securing a lot of wins reflects on the driver and team's consistency with which the organization has worked.
"I think having a lot of wins means that you’ve had a lot of good days spread out through a long period of time. So I just think that general satisfaction that you get from a race win or a day going your way – if those wins are in large quantities like that, I think ultimately that means that you’ve had a lot of good days leaving the racetrack and a lot of satisfaction." he said [at 7:15].
Denny Hamlin finished eighth in the 2024 season, securing 2328 points. Chase Elliott finished one spot above Hamlin with 2342 points.