When NASCAR drivers talk about crown jewel races, four events stand at the top of the list: The Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, and Brickyard 400.
With the addition of the Indianapolis NASCAR race in 1994, the ‘Grand Slam’ became a coveted achievement that only a small handful of drivers have ever ever attained — all are champions and Hall of Famers.
Jeff Gordon completed it first in 1997, and then Dale Earnhardt in 1998 after he finally won the Daytona 500 in his 20th attempt. Jimmie Johnson was next in 2006, and then Kevin Harvick in 2014.
Since then, no other driver has joined that elite group. Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski are both missing the Daytona 500 while acquiring the other three, and Kyle Busch was knocking on the door of it as well before his untimely passing in May.
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Justin Casterline / Getty Images
Another driver very close to NASCAR’s version of the ‘Grand Slam’ is current championship leader Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing is the winningest active driver in the Cup Series, and has four victories this year alone.
Among his many triumphs are three Daytona 500 victories (2016, 2019, 2020), three Southern 500s (2010, 2017, 2021), and a Coca-Cola 600 win in 2022.
But the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway eludes the driver of the No. 11 Toyota.
This weekend will mark his 18th start in the Brickyard 400, and while solid, he’s never been truly dominant at IMS. He’s led a total of 153 laps with one pole, six top fives, and nine top tens.
Last year, Hamlin said of his quest to win at the Brickyard: “Yeah, it’s tough to say what it would mean until it actually happens. Adding another crown jewel would be big, and then to have had them all swept to where we’ve done it all. I mean certainly the names are very prestigious on that list and so, it would certainly mean a lot to me. It would just be another you know feather in the cap. I don’t know what else it would bring to me other than that just little prestige, but certainly, we’ve come close … highly motivated, just need things to go our way once.”
Unfortunately for Hamlin, things have yet to go his way at Indy. Here’s a look back of some of Hamlin’s more promising runs at the Brickyard, where victory was within reach:
2025: Missed opportunity
Watch: Denny Hamlin suffers big hit in Turn 2 during Cup Series qualifying
Hamlin has never placed higher than third in this race, but last year was truly a case of what could have been. Hamlin was on pace to secure pole with a blistering fast lap, but crashed at the exit of Turn 2 and had to start from the rear of the field. The team also had to go to a backup car. While difficult to pass, he still cut through the field and reached third place by the time the checkered flag flew. The good news? Hamlin did finally get to kiss the bricks…as an owner, with 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace winning the race.
2020: Crash from the lead
This loss was especially painful for Hamlin. He was in control and appeared to have the race in-hand with no immediate pressure. Kevin Harvick was about eight tenths behind and struggling to make up the difference. But with seven laps to go, Hamlin blew a right-front tire in Turn 1 and slammed the wall in a fiery crash, dashing his hopes and ending his day.
2018: Final restart showdown
Hamlin led 37 laps in this race, and was leading on the final restart. He got a great restart, but he was unable to get away from his closest challenger. On the penultimate lap, Brad Keselowski worked his way underneath Hamlin at the exit of Turn 2, and cleared him through Turn 4 right before the white flag flew.
2014: Late charge falls short
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Photo by: Action Sports Photography
On the final restart with 17 laps to go, Hamlin surged from sixth to third in the running order. On the backstretch, he made an aggressive three-wide move on Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth, but unfortunately, that’s as far as he got. He simply couldn’t run down the leaders, and Jeff Gordon drove off with a record fifth win in the Brickyard 400
2012: Started strong…
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Photo by: Michael C. Johnson
Hamlin earned his lone pole position in the 2012 Brickyard 400. He led up until the first round of pit stops, and never led the race again (beyond pit stop cycles) for the rest of the day. He remained near the front and finished sixth, but Hendrick Motorsports was too strong that day, taking three of the top five positions.
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