Hamlin hungry for his first NASCAR title

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.

Denny Hamlin said he needs to change to become a more successful racer. His actions, attitude and approach are areas he's altering heading into the NASCAR season.

"What I don't like to hear is, 'You've got a lot of potential,'" the 28-year-old driver for Joe Gibbs Racing said. " It's my fourth year. It's time to be a champion. Not a guy that contends."

Conviction backs his words. He said his workout routine has changed, and he's refocused inside and outside the car.

Still, for all that Hamlin has accomplished - a third-place finish in the points his rookie year and four Sprint Cup victories - his actions have stunted his progress at times.

Hamlin's feel-good rookie success in 2006 diminished in 2007. He complained repeatedly about his pit crew early that season and held an impromptu meeting with crew chief Mike Ford and team president J.D. Gibbs on pit road after the Darlington race when pit woes cost him a win. He won later that year but finished last in the Chase.

Hamlin's anger resurfaced last August at Michigan when he finished 39th after his engine blew and then chastised his crew.

" We don't even deserve to be in the Chase," he said that day. He made it but finished eighth.

Such verbal attacks, even when warranted, are best for behind-the-scenes meetings instead of press gatherings. Hamlin understands now that he's become the senior driver at Gibbs with Tony Stewart's departure.

" If you're going to be the senior driver, you can't act like you're 12 years old," Hamlin said. "I'm definitely going to hold my frustrations back until I get behind closed doors."

Hamlin will need to do more, though, to succeed, starting with tonight's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway - an event he won in 2006.

"I can assure you that I'm more focused than I've ever been on the racing aspect of it," he said. " A lot of people say that, but I work my guts out in the gym to try and be better. Every time I think I'm working hard, I always picture someone else who's working a little bit harder than I am so I push myself a little bit more."

While Hamlin's success is worth noting, it pales compared to the mark of some drivers by the time they were 28.

Jeff Gordon had three championships and 46 wins. Kurt Busch won a title and had 15 wins. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had seven wins by 28, said Hamlin shouldn't burden himself by focusing on such comparisons.

" I think Denny is really hard on himself," Earnhardt said. " I think he has accomplished a lot. Look at it. The kid was running a late model, what, three or four years ago?

" Who knows if he would have ever got a shot at driving a stock car in the Cup Series? Here he is with a great team, good job. Making money, living in a nice house. Basically he has the world in the palm of his hand. I mean, I know he wants more. That is the sign of a true racer and he will get it."

Hamlin's dedication even impacts his wallet. He'll skip most of the Nationwide races and won't do as much of what he calls the "nonsense" - side deals that can bring in an additional $15,000 or more for an appearance or a personal services deal.

" This is my year," he said. " I'm taking off and not worrying about myself and trying to just get back to the basics."