Denny Hamlin 14th in 600th start
Denny Hamlin’s 14th-place finish in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard marked the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers’ 600th points-awarding start in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Hamlin became the 33rd driver in NASCAR history to race in at least 600 points-awarding cup Series races. His teammate Martin Truex Jr. hit the mark at Gateway in June.
Hamlin made his debut in 2005 for Joe Gibbs Racing, driving all his races in the No. 11 car for the team.
In 600 starts, Hamlin’s credentials include 36 poles, 48 wins, 201 Top-5’s, 310 Top-10’s, over 13,000 laps led, and three Daytona 500 victories.
HISTORY
In the 74-year history of NASCAR’s premier series, no driver has ever won in their 600th start.
The highest a driver has finished in their 600th start is third-place twice. Darrell Waltrip finished third at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March of 1994 and Jeff Gordon finished third at Chicagoland Speedway in July of 2010.
The first driver to make their 600th start was Buck Baker, who finished 16th at Hickory Speedway in April of 1968.
SOURCES
Racing-Reference.info
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