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Denny Hamlin says 'worse drivers' than him have won a NASCAR championship. Who does he mean?

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Denny Hamlin says 'worse drivers' than him have won a NASCAR championship. Who does he mean?
News

News

Denny Hamlin says 'worse drivers' than him have won a NASCAR championship. Who does he mean?

2024-04-30 07:13 Last Updated At:07:21

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin took his cut — he gripped the checkered flag like a Louisville Slugger and took a swing moments after he delivered on his called shot at Dover — and then lobbed a high, hard one at some of the NASCAR greats before him.

Yeah, maybe 36 drivers have won Cup championships.

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Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin took his cut — he gripped the checkered flag like a Louisville Slugger and took a swing moments after he delivered on his called shot at Dover — and then lobbed a high, hard one at some of the NASCAR greats before him.

Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with the checkered flag after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with the checkered flag after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line to win a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line to win a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin, front left, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin, front left, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Not all of them were as great as Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin is off to one of the best starts of his two-decade career, with three wins for Joe Gibbs Racing — plus a victory in the exhibition Clash at the Coliseum — over the first 11 races. Again, Hamlin is in the mix to win his first career Cup title. Again, Hamlin knows his season will be judged not on his start, but on his finish.

Can he ever get over the hump in the No. 11 Toyota and score NASCAR’s biggest prize, the pursuit of which has caused him all kinds of heartache through the years?

Sure, he can. But if he doesn’t win it all, Hamlin seems at peace with the knowledge that his career has hovered in the rarified air as one of the best in NASCAR history.

His 54th career win — one he predicted on his podcast — was just the latest reminder of his elite ability behind the wheel. Hamlin tied Lee Petty for 12th on the career wins list, and only Hall of Famers Kyle Busch and recently-retired Kevin Harvick are ahead of him.

Hamlin can’t knock ’em.

As for the “does a championship define greatness?” crowd, Hamlin told the haters to take a hike.

“I know that I’m a championship-caliber driver,” Hamlin said. “I’ll just say it. I think there’s been worse drivers to win a championship than me.”

Like who?

Stroll through the garage or flip through the history book and it’s easy to find championship drivers Hamlin would be foolish to trade careers with just for a title.

__ Brad Keselowski won the 2012 championship but has only three other top-five series finishes over that span and is winless (he has 35 overall) since 2021. Hamlin also has three Daytona 500 victories to none for Keselowski.

__ Matt Kenseth is as respected as any driver in recent NASCAR history and currently serves as a competition advisor for Legacy Motor Club. His one win in his 2003 championship season made him a scapegoat the following year when NASCAR upended the championship process and moved to a playoff-type format. Kenseth won 39 career races.

__ Hey, who doesn’t love Dale Jarrett? The popular NBC announcer failed to win a race in his first four seasons and had only two wins in his last four full seasons. He did win four of his 32 career races in his 1999 championship season.

__ The Labonte Brothers. Terry Labonte won 22 times over a whopping 890 career Cup starts. In an era where slow-and-steady won the championship race, Labonte won Cup titles in 1984 and 1996 — with a combined four wins. Bobby Labonte needed 729 races to win 21 times. He did win five times in 1999 and four times in 2000, when he won his only career Cup championship.

__ Would Hamlin trade careers with his JGR teammate and 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr.? What about 2023 champ Ryan Blaney? Surely not.

Consider, since Hamlin’s rookie season in 2006, he has only one winless year (2018) and posted 8, 7 and 6 win-seasons at JGR.

“I care about wins and winning every single week because in the end I absolutely would take 60-some wins and no championship over 20 and one,” Hamlin said. “It’s just not even close.”

The 43-year-old Hamlin and Junior Johnson are the only drivers in the 50-win Cup Club without a championship.

“This team definitely has all the makings of,” a championship season, Hamlin crew chief Chris Gabehart said. “Denny is doing a phenomenal job as a driver. The car, the new Toyota Camry, it’s really given us a lot to work with. Everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing is really pulling the rope and excited to win races.”

Hamlin and Christopher Bell have delivered four wins this season to JGR. William Byron has three wins and Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott each have one to give Hendrick Motorsports five checkered flags in 2024. The Ford teams — like Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing — have been flat this season which has already created some massive separation between the contenders and the rest of the field. The first 11 races could just be a preview for what's ahead in a season that stretches into November.

“I think we have got off to a good start, Hendrick and us,” Gibbs said. “This is very competitive. I think that’s what we’ll see as we go forward.”

Hamlin had some fun after the race when he pointed toward the Dover scoring pylon with his 11 in the top spot and posted a photo on social media with the caption “ pylon works.” Hamlin trolled Talladega and Texas after the tracks removed the scoring pylons in moves that offended NASCAR traditionalists.

At last check, Phoenix Raceway, the site of the NASCAR championship race, still had a scoring pylon.

Winning that title sure would be nice. Ending the season with a few more wins to jolt him higher on the careers list just might be even better.

“It’s my personal goal, in my career I want to get to a number that puts me well inside that top 10 of race winners," he said. “I think that will speak for itself and the resume.”

This story has been corrected to show Ryan Blaney was the champion in 2023, not 2022.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with the checkered flag after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with the checkered flag after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line to win a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line to win a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin, front left, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin, front left, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House delivered a rebuke to President Joe Biden Thursday for pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, passing legislation that seeks to force the weapons transfer as Republicans worked to highlight Democratic divisions over the Israel-Hamas war.

Seeking to discourage Israel from its offensive on the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, the Biden administration this month put on hold a weapons shipment of 3,500 bombs — some as large as 2,000 pounds — that are capable of killing hundreds in populated areas. Republicans were outraged, accusing Biden of abandoning the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Debate over the bill, rushed to the House floor by GOP leadership this week, showed Washington's deeply fractured outlook on the Israel-Hamas war. The White House and Democratic leadership scrambled to rally support from a House caucus that ranges from moderates frustrated that the president would allow any daylight between the U.S. and Israel to progressives outraged that he is still sending any weapons at all.

The bill passed comfortably 224-187 as 16 Democrats joined with most Republicans to vote in favor. Three Republicans voted against it.

On the right, Republicans said the president had no business chiding Israel for how it uses the U.S.-manufactured weapons that are instrumental in its war against Hamas. They have not been satisfied with the Biden administration moving forward this week on a new $1 billion sale to Israel of tank ammunition, tactical vehicles and mortar rounds.

“We’re beyond frustrated,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said. “I don’t think we should tell the Israelis how to conduct their military campaign, period.”

The House bill condemns Biden for initiating the pause on the bomb shipment and would withhold funding for the State Department, Department of Defense and the National Security Council until the delivery is made.

The White House has said Biden would veto the bill if it passes Congress, and the Democratic-led Senate seems certain to reject it.

“It’s not going anywhere," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier this week.

Republicans were undeterred. Appearing on the Capitol steps ahead of voting Thursday morning, House Republican leaders argued that passage of the bill in the House would build pressure on Schumer and Biden.

“It is President Biden and Senator Schumer himself who are standing in the way of getting Israel the resources it desperately needs to defend itself,” Speaker Mike Johnson said.

Biden placed the hold on the transfer of the bombs this month over concerns the weapons could inflict massive casualties in Rafah and to deter Israel from the attack.

Over 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed as Israel tries to eliminate Hamas in retaliation for its Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 more captive. Hundreds of thousands of people could be at risk of death if Israel attacks Rafah, the United Nations humanitarian aid agency has warned, because so many have fled there for safety.

The heavy toll of the Israeli campaign has prompted intense protests on the left, including on university campuses nationwide and some aimed directly at Biden. In a rare scene on the Capitol steps Thursday, a group of about two dozen House aides gathered just as lawmakers were entering the chamber to vote and displayed a banner that read, “Your staff demands you save Rafah."

At the same time, a group of moderate Democrats in Congress have expressed almost unconditional support for Israel. Roughly two dozen House Democrats last week signed onto a letter to the Biden administration saying they were “deeply concerned about the message” sent by pausing the bomb shipment.

Eager to tamp down the number from Biden's own party who would side with Republicans on the vote, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and deputy national security adviser Jon Finer got on the phone this week with Democratic lawmakers who could possibly defect.

Among their arguments, according to an administration official with knowledge of their conversations and granted anonymity to discuss them, was that the legislation would constrain the president’s foreign policy powers. Sullivan and Finer also noted in these discussions that what Biden did — pausing aid in order to influence Israel’s actions — was similar to President Ronald Reagan’s decision in 1982 to halt military aid to Israel amid its invasion of Lebanon.

House Democratic leadership also worked hard to convince rank-and-file lawmakers to vote against the bill.

“The legislation on the floor today is not a serious effort to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and Israel,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

He added that he supported the effort to “decisively” defeat Hamas while also advocating for a goal of “Israel living in safety and security side by side with a demilitarized Palestinian state that allows for dignity and self-determination amongst the Palestinian people.”

With the general election campaign coming into focus, the speaker has mostly turned to advancing partisan bills, including legislation on immigration, local policing and antisemitism, that are intended to force Democrats into taking difficult votes.

“It's being done to score cheap political points,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat who signed onto the letter criticizing the pause, but voted against the bill. She added that it would potentially defund U.S. national security programs.

As an alternative, Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a separate bill Thursday with some bipartisan backing that would require the president to notify Congress before holding the delivery of defensive weapons to Israel and allow Congress to override the hold.

Still, the 16 Democrats who voted for the bill showed a willingness to buck the president. The group consisted of both lawmakers vying for reelection in swing districts and those who are staunch supporters of Israel.

“The administration has been wavering so I’m going to vote for the bill when it comes to the floor,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, said ahead of the vote.

Another Democrat who voted for the bill, Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, said this week he also considered the messages being sent to the Jewish community in the United States.

“My community right now is worried,” he said. “Things don’t happen in a vacuum.”

Historically, the U.S. has sent enormous amounts of weaponry to Israel, and it has only accelerated those shipments after the Oct. 7 attack. But some progressives are pushing for an end to that relationship as they argue that Israel's campaign into Gaza amounts to genocide — a characterization that the Biden administration has rejected.

“My fear is that our government and us as citizens, as taxpayers, we are going to be complicit in genocide,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat. “And that goes against everything we value as a nation.”

Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., center, flanked by GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., left, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., speak to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., center, flanked by GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., left, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., speak to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined at left by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speak to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined at left by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speak to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined from left by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined from left by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined from left by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined from left by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

From left, GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., speak to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

From left, GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., speak to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with reporters to discuss his proposal of sending crucial bipartisan support to aid Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after weeks of inaction, at the Capitol in Washington, April 17, 2024. House Republicans plan to deliver a rebuke to President Joe Biden for putting a pause on a shipment of bombs to Israel that could be used in an assault on Rafah. They are voting Thursday on a bill that has practically no chance of being enacted but puts pressure on Democrats as it mandates delivery of the weapons. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

FILE - Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with reporters to discuss his proposal of sending crucial bipartisan support to aid Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after weeks of inaction, at the Capitol in Washington, April 17, 2024. House Republicans plan to deliver a rebuke to President Joe Biden for putting a pause on a shipment of bombs to Israel that could be used in an assault on Rafah. They are voting Thursday on a bill that has practically no chance of being enacted but puts pressure on Democrats as it mandates delivery of the weapons. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

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