CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Denny Hamlin has already won two of NASCAR's six completed races this season, but the consecutive Daytona 500 winner is not yet satisfied. He wants to take the checkered flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday more than anything.
"It's a race that's the highest priority for me to win in my career," Hamlin told The Charlotte Observer.
Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Martin Truex Jr., won last year's Coca-Cola 600, but the No. 11 driver has never won the crown jewel event himself despite his 39 Cup Series wins.
The morning after Hamlin secured a victory at Wednesday night's Darlington race, which ended early due to rain, he hopped on a Zoom call with The Charlotte Observer to discuss his creative 'face' face mask, his thoughts on the Kyle Busch-Chase Elliott incident and the texts he receives from Michael Jordan.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
