Kyle Petty reflects on Denny Hamlin tying his grandfather Lee Petty with 54 Cup Series wins

Following Denny Hamlin’s win at Dover Motor Speedway, Kyle Petty reflected on what the No. 11’s trip to victory lane meant for NASCAR.

Hamlin tied Petty’s grandfather, Lee Petty, with 54 wins via his win in Delaware. The veteran wheelman was more than gracious about it, saying, “I couldn’t hold Lee Petty’s helmet,” following the race, but Kyle Petty gave Hamlin the props he deserves.

“It was Dover yesterday. One of my favorite places on the face of the earth. My last win. Hey, I gotta give myself props on that one. … But I want to talk about Denny Hamlin yesterday. Denny Hamlin tied my grandfather, Lee Petty, at 54 wins. That is huge people, that is huge,” Kyle Petty said, following the race. “Only 12 guys in the history of the sport have ever climbed that 54 mountain, and Denny Hamlin is one of them.

“Denny’s that guy that came into the sport that had tons of talent and tons of speed, but that’s all he had, talent and speed. He’s taken that speed, he’s corralled it after all these years, and he’s taken that talent, and he’s become that guy, that has that magic bag of tricks. He can start anywhere, anytime and make something happen in those last five or six laps of the race.”

Evidently, Kyle Petty thinks highly of Hamlin, and it’s evident the No. 11 wheelman is far from finished. He’s enjoying his prime, winning more than ever. There’s no reason for him to step away that the moment.

Still, Hamlin had a bit of imposter syndrome when he thought about his place among the all-time greats, but he did relay his goal to get into the top ten, as it pertains to career wins in the Cup Series.

“It doesn’t seem right,” Hamlin said, via his post-race interview. “If you put all the names on the list in the orders of the wins that they have, I don’t know, I see my name as just an outlier, one that sticks out like it doesn’t really belong there.

“I’ve been doing it a long time. You take for granted all the wins that you’ve had. All we think about is the ones that we didn’t win. I’m like, man, I feel like I should have 80 or 90 realistically. But everyone has those stories. 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. I think that will speak for itself and the résumé.”

Time will tell how high Denny Hamlin can climb, but doubt the No. 11 at your own risk. He can win anytime, anywhere, and he’s proven that throughout his career.