Alright let’s get into how I figured out where Denny Hamlin landed in the final NASCAR standings last year. Wanted a clear answer without wading through endless clickbait articles. Seemed simple enough, right? Turns out it took some actual digging.
Starting Point Was NASCAR’s Own Mess
First thing I did was head straight to the source, NASCAR’s official site. Figured they’d have the standings front and center. Boy was I wrong. Found myself clicking through menus like:
- “Results” tab… which dumped me into race-by-race finishes.
- “Drivers” section… showed current year profiles, useless.
- “Stats” page… buried under obscure records.
Felt like navigating a maze. Who hides the full-season standings after the season’s over? Had to Google “2023 NASCAR Cup Series final standings” while already on *. How nuts is that?
Drowning in Lists and Points
Finally got to the championship table. Felt like looking at tax forms – just columns and numbers everywhere:
- Driver names crammed together, no clear separation.
- Points totals next to playoff points, bonus points… sensory overload.
- No big “Rank” column shouting his position.
Started scrolling down, scanning line by line. Skipped the obvious top contenders – Larson, Elliott, Byron, Blaney… Then got to Keselowski at 8th. Okay, getting warmer. Scrolled past Logano at 12th? Weird. Finally… saw it:
Denny Hamlin: 6th Place.
Just sitting there plain as day, but only after scrolling past a bunch of names you wouldn’t expect above him.
The Real Kick in the Teeth
Honestly thought he’d cracked the top 5 before seeing this. Stood out for me because:
- He won three races last year. More than half the guys ahead of him!
- Yet finished behind William Byron (also 3 wins), Ryan Blaney (3 wins), Larson (4 wins)… and Bell & Chastain who only had 1 win each? Doesn’t seem right.
The points system is its own beast. Guess those mid-season crashes and a few terrible finishes dragged his average down hard. Stats don’t lie, even when they feel wrong. P6 for Hamlin in 2023. End of story. Clear answer achieved, after way more hassle than it should’ve been.
