Denny Hamlin still can make NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup playoff

When Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota slammed head-on into the wall in Fontana in March, there were fears that his streak of qualifying every year for NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup playoff was over.

In his first seven years as a full-time driver in the Sprint Cup Series, Hamlin had made the Chase every year and, in 2010, he narrowly lost the championship to Jimmie Johnson.

Hamlin, 32, did indeed miss four races after suffering a back injury in his crash at Auto Club Speedway. Even so, the Virginian still has a shot at this year’s Chase.

Twelve drivers qualify for the Chase after the first 26 races of the regular season: The top 10 drivers in points and two wild-card drivers who have the most wins among those 11th to 20th in points.

When Hamlin was sidelined, he tumbled to 31st in the standings. But after his eighth-place finish Sunday at Pocono, he’s climbed to 25th.

He’s now only 76 points behind the 20th-place driver, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., with 12 races left until the Chase starts Sept. 15. (A driver can earn up to 48 points in a single race.)

So Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, has two requirements to reach the 10-race Chase: Move into the top 20 in points and score at least one or two wins. And the schedule looks promising for him.

“Typically during the summer we have a lot of really good race tracks for us,” Hamlin said after Sunday’s race, “so [I’m] very optimistic for our team.”

The series races this Sunday is at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway, where Hamlin is a two-time winner.

Other tracks in coming weeks include New Hampshire, where Hamlin also has won twice, and a return to Pocono, where Hamlin is a four-time winner.

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