Hamlin's track record is starting to do the talking

HOMESTEAD, FL

It's become harder to dismiss Denny Hamlin these days - whether it's what he says or what he does.

His career-high fourth victory of the season Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway doubled his career win total entering this year and guided him to a fifth-place finish in the points.

While ABC analyst Ray Evernham predicts Hamlin's teammate, Kyle Busch, is the driver most likely to challenge four-time champion Jimmie Johnson for next year's crown, Hamlin will be hard to ignore.

Just as the 29-year-old was this year.

Hamlin surprised some in February when he declared "it's time to be a champion, not (just) a guy that contends."

Those were strong words for a driver who had shown flashes of brilliance but nearly as many moments of anger. He made the Chase each of his first three years, but was as well known for criticizing his team.

He unleashed his temper on the pit crew throughout 2007. The following season, it was the entire team when, after falling out of the August Michigan race because of a blown engine, he declared: "We don't even deserve to be in the Chase."

Hamlin admitted this year he could have handled those situations better. With Tony Stewart gone, Hamlin sought to be the leader at Joe Gibbs Racing as its senior driver.

Early season struggles limited Hamlin. No one looks to drivers running mid-pack for leadership. Hamlin then excelled during the summer, scoring 11 top-10 finishes in a 13-race stretch to climb from 12th to third in the points.

He also was vocal about the organization's deficiencies during that time. He left races frustrated, even after top-5 runs, because he couldn't catch the Hendrick cars. He called for a company-wide meeting to address the issues. His team's performance improved. He won at Richmond in the final race before the Chase, making him among those who were predicted to challenge Johnson.

He didn't get the chance. The team struggled with the car at Dover, and he finished 22nd. Two weeks later, he crashed at California while racing Juan Pablo Montoya for the lead and finished 37th. The next week, he finished 42nd because of a blown engine at Charlotte. It was one of two blown engines during the Chase.

When Hamlin didn't have problems, he was strong. He finished in the top 5 in the other six Chase races, which included wins at Martinsville and Homestead.

Sunday's win, overshadowed by Johnson's fourth consecutive championship, was Hamlin's first on a banked track.

His other seven career victories had come at Pocono, New Hampshire, Martinsville and Richmond, all considered flat tracks.

"Everyone kind of puts us in a box, and they name off Martinsville, Richmond, Pocono and those race tracks and say that, yeah, we can win those races," Hamlin said. "But they don't put us in that category at other race tracks.

"I think it just shows that we're starting to come into our own as a race team and perform well everywhere."

As his results improved during the Chase, Hamlin began to speak up again. This time, it was against NASCAR. Upset with the series' announcement the morning of the Talladega race that it wouldn't allow push-drafting in the corners - something Hamlin was among the best at doing - he questioned officials.

Hamlin said they didn't listen enough to younger drivers - those, like him, who would still be racing in 10-15 years.

NASCAR disagreed, but Hamlin started a debate on how opinions are weighed in the sport.

Hamlin wasn't done talking. He vowed to wreck rival Brad Keselowski in the Nationwide season finale at Homestead after being wrecked at Phoenix, one of several incidents Hamlin said Keselowski caused.

True to his word, Hamlin spun Keselowski in Saturday's Nationwide race.

"I think everyone has got a little fight in them," Hamlin said.

Hamlin has shown that this year but he's also matched it with performance. The question becomes what more must he do to challenge for a championship. If he can answer that, Hamlin's stature in the sport will grow even more.