Denny Hamlin is a big stick and ball sport fan. So, to say that he’s a student of the game in NASCAR, would resonate well within the Virginia native. For Hamlin, he went from a struggling superspeedway racer to arguably the best in the NASCAR Cup Series today.

Back in February, Hamlin became just the sixth driver in the history of the sport to win the Daytona 500 three or more times. What’s even more impressive is, all three wins have come in the last five years. Counter that with his best finish in his first six Daytona 500 tries being 17th and you get a complete turn around from the start of his career to now.

“I don’t know what it is, but I think I started studying more about superspeedway racing around that time because I had been so unsuccessful for a very long time,” Hamlin said a week after his Daytona win. “We went a long time and I’ve won a lot of the Clashes and Duel races. It just seems like it’s that seven or eight years ago that the car came around and whatever techniques I use or I’ve adapted to this car have seemed to work.”

Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate of Kyle Busch may have two championships compared to Hamlin’s none, but Busch is envious of Hamlin’s three Harley J. Earl trophies in his collection.

“Denny has really gotten way better ever since this car,” Busch said of Hamlin’s superspeedway abilities in the Gen 6 car, the current model. “He was always an aggressive plate racer, one that would make moves that you’re kind of, ‘Man, if he would just stay in line, I think this would turn out better.’

“He still does that today, but he’s making it work for himself, that not staying in line is better for Denny. I think since this car came though, he’s been a real good plate racer.

“He’s been fantastic at the game, he’s understood it, he’s made moves that I sometimes wouldn’t make that have worked, he’s able to pass a guy to get in line. … He’s very knowledgeable and skillful In making his moves and passes.”

Hamlin, is now searching for his second win at Talladega and fourth on the year. His last came in the spring race of 2014. The Virginia native hasn’t finished in the top five in the spring race since that day, but does have four straight top six finishes in the fall race.

Without a lot of drafting help available on Sunday, Hamlin knows that he just needs to survive the first 160 laps and put himself in position where people have to work with him in the end.