Denny Hamlin has three "podium" finishes in his last three starts.OK, so none of them actually had a real podium for a top-three finish. That only occurred at Mexico City, where Hamlin didn’t race in the days following the birth of his son.

Denny Hamlin nearly did something at Pocono Raceway that nobody in the history of NASCAR had ever done, almost becoming the first driver to win consecutive races — while missing a start in between them.

In terms of race wins and points collected, there's a clear top four right now. But Denny Hamlin is the only one executing on a weekly basis.