Denny Hamlin expresses confidence as tire-wear issues are spotlighted at Iowa

Tire wear is the talk around Iowa Speedway right now. Denny Hamlin, after winning at Bristol, feels confident this weekend. NASCAR Cup Series practice revealed a few things about how this track is wearing out tires.

In total, five drivers had flat tires during Cup Series practice. It feels like a similar result to what we saw at Bristol earlier this season. Goodyear brought the same tire they tested earlier this season where drivers were going 50+ laps without issues.

For whatever reason, drivers were only able to go 20 or so laps without issues. Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, and Tyler Reddick all suffered tire issues.

Denny Hamlin is excited about the tire wear. It plays right into his strengths.

“Surprising to see they had as high as wear as they did with 20 laps or so on tires but I think we will get better in the race, but if there’s havoc with tires and wear then I like our chances,” Hamlin explained, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports.

Repaves and new tracks often challenge the teams early in a weekend when it comes to tires. At least a few drivers don't know what to think after Cup practice Friday where five drivers had tire issues. Only driver going to a backup car is Christopher Bell. pic.twitter.com/L4Q2Ko3VWq

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 15, 2024

Denny Hamlin and the other short track racers in the field love tire wear. They are used to races where you manage your equipment, tires, brakes, all of it. Then when the time is right, you start to push.

Teams are going to be able to adjust for these tires. So, we might not get a wild day like Bristol with teams learning on the fly. I do think we could see one of the better short track races of the Next Gen era if the tire wear is somewhat severe, though.

Denny Hamlin ready to get back to running up front

After blowing an engine on Lap 2 at Sonoma Raceway, Denny Hamlin suffered his first DNF since Talladega. He was on a hot streak in between the superspeedway and road course races. Five straight top-5 finishes, including his Dover win.

With victories at Bristol, Richmond, and Dover – Hamlin has established himself as the short track master this season. Iowa is not a track that he is very familiar with but it does fit into his wheelhouse.

Hamlin lost out on the points lead to Kyle Larson because of his DNF at Sonoma. It won’t be easy to defeat Larson this season as the Cup Series champion is on a hot streak, and keeps racking up stage points.

This season appears to be Denny Hamlin’s best shot at a championship in quite a few years. Three wins on the year and a number of great finishes. He has to stay focused and keep running near the front to keep pace with Larson.