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Denny Hamlin hits massive jackpot in Las Vegas ahead of Pennzoil 400

JHby:Jonathan Howardabout 15 hours

Jondean25

Denny Hamlin
John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Some people have all the luck. Denny Hamlin was at the casino on Friday night and hit a HUGE six-figure jackpot. It feels like this guy walks away with more money than he came with to Las Vegas when NASCAR comes to town.

There are people who wish they could hit one jackpot in their life. In the last three years Denny Hamlin has twice won an invite only blackjack tournament and now this huge slot machine jackpot.

More than $126,000 to Hamlin’s pocket before he ever hit the track this weekend. He’s probably hoping that luck translates to the track on Sunday.

Denny Hamlin has had an up and down season. Finishes of P24 and P21 at Daytona and COTA are the down side. However, finishes of P6 and P2 at Atlanta and Phoenix show promise.

Las Vegas is a track that Denny should have speed at. These intermediate tracks have been the bread and butter for Toyota in the Gen 7 era. That advantage has shrunk in the last year or so.

Last season, Hamlin finished P8 in both Las Vegas races. He will try to bring more speed to the track this weekend and put his No. 11 Camry in Victory Lane. He hasn’t won a race since April of last year at Dover.

Working with crew chief Chris Gayle for the first time this season, Denny Hamlin is going to have growing pains. With how much experience he has in the Cup Series, he will have to help Gayle as much as his crew chief helps him.

Denny Hamlin – will his luck continue in Las Vegas?

Again, the luck seems to never end in the casino for Denny Hamlin. However, things on the track have not gone exactly according to plan lately. As he continues to search for another win, tracks like Vegas will give him his best chances.

Of course, Hamlin is also a short-track master. He will be looking forward to Martinsville and Bristol for sure. Joe Gibbs Racing, besides Christopher Bell, is still searching for wins. Hamlin was the last driver not named Bell to win for the organization.

Hamlin was alright in practice. He is going to try and qualify the best that he can. While qualifying isn’t as important this week as it is at other tracks, it won’t hurt to have a good pit stall.

This season, nothing is guaranteed. Denny Hamlin doesn’t have a win in the first four races of the season. Is it possible he doesn’t win a race this year at all? I’m not ready to go there, but as the weeks tick away, the worry will start to build.