Mark Martin: Denny Hamlin Defying Father Time in NASCAR Cup Series

Denny Hamlin is rewriting the narrative on aging in NASCAR, and one of the sport’s all-time greats, Mark Martin, is taking notice. Martin, a 2017 Hall of Fame inductee, expressed his admiration for Hamlin’s continued success, particularly his recent victory in Las Vegas, acknowledging the immense challenge of competing at a high level well into one’s 40s.

“I’m rooting for Denny Hamlin right now because I recognize how hard It’s to defy the odds and overcome Father Time when he starts working against a high level athlete,” Martin said Tuesday during a media availability at NASCAR Productions. Hamlin, currently 45, is proving that age is, at least to some extent, just a number in a sport often dominated by younger drivers.

Martin’s appreciation extends beyond Hamlin’s on-track performance. He’s observed a shift in public perception of the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, a transformation he personally experienced with Darrell Waltrip in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “He’s started to spot something of a baby face turn from a driver that was long established as something of a heel,” Martin explained, drawing a parallel to Waltrip’s evolution from a polarizing figure to a fan favorite.

However, Martin’s respect isn’t simply rooted in nostalgia or a shared experience of public image rehabilitation. He himself continued to win Cup races through his 50th birthday in 2009, giving him a unique perspective on the physical and mental demands of longevity in NASCAR. “So many people have changed the way they feel about him and he’s one of the greatest drivers ever,” Martin stated. “I don’t care what car he drove, you look at his numbers and it’s some of the greatest ever, and I appreciate that he can win a race at 45 because most winners can’t win races at 45.”

The ability to win at 45, Martin emphasized, is “pretty damn cool.” He acknowledged Hamlin’s own assessment that continued success requires dedicated effort, a sentiment Martin wholeheartedly agrees with. “When he said after the race that he’s working hard, I believe it because I think it’s harder now to win at 50 than it was when I did it and it was hard then.”

But what does it take to sustain that success as the years accumulate? Martin believes the biggest challenge isn’t necessarily a loss of speed, but a decline in “race craft” – the subtle art of maneuvering, positioning, and making split-second decisions during a race. He illustrated this point with a personal anecdote, recalling qualifying on the pole at Phoenix at age 54 in a remarkably fast car, yet recognizing that his racecraft had been diminishing for years.

To explain the phenomenon, Martin offered a compelling metaphor: an aging iPad. “I’ve got a 15-year-ancient iPad and it was fast when I got it but now it’s so slow that it’s unusable,” he said. “That same thing happens to your processor. I don’t know it happens differently for different people but I knew it. I could feel the difference in 2009 from 1989 even though I was winning races and still had great race craft.”

He elaborated, explaining that the mental processing speed slows down, impacting the ability to react and make optimal decisions in the heat of competition. “By 2013, it was blatantly obvious to me, even if it wasn’t to you because I had lived in this world of such heightened senses. I drove a race car off of what I felt, not what I saw, and when you process all of that stuff, I’m sorry it just slows down and it’s slower now, because my processor is even slower now than it was in 2013.”

Hamlin, like Martin before him, appears to be proactively addressing this challenge. Martin noted Hamlin’s commitment to physical fitness and his unwavering desire to win, qualities that drove Martin to continue competing even after experiencing a decline in his mental processing speed. “I stayed incredibly fit,” Martin said. “I kept the desire to win. That’s the only reason I took Rick Hendrick’s third attempt to hire me for the 5 car because I almost won twice in the (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) 8 car and had the car to beat at Phoenix and Pocono when we had to pit for fuel, so I could taste it.”

That “taste” of victory, Martin explained, is a powerful motivator. “I wanted to feel that one more time because it’s euphoric and I can’t describe it to you what it feels like to win or what it felt like to me but I knew after the last one that I would never experience that again.”

Looking ahead, Martin believes Hamlin has the potential to continue competing at a high level for several more years. “The way Denny looks, he could go another five years, and I know he probably won’t but it’s just harder now,” Martin said. He contrasted Hamlin’s situation with that of Kevin Harvick, another veteran driver who has faced increasing challenges as he’s aged. “Look at Kevin Harvick. It’s just harder when you get in your 40s, your mid-40s, and he’s one of the greatest to ever do it too. There are exceptions to this and Denny Hamlin is the exception right now.”

Hamlin’s success isn’t just a testament to his talent and dedication; it’s a compelling case study in defying the natural limitations of age in a demanding sport. And for Mark Martin, it’s a source of genuine admiration, and encouragement.