DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin took his cut — he gripped the checkered flag like a Louisville Slugger and took a swing moments after he delivered on his called shot at Dover — and then lobbed a high, hard one at some of the NASCAR greats before him.

Yeah, maybe 36 drivers have won Cup championships.

Not all of them were as great as Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin is off to one of the best starts of his two-decade career, with three wins for Joe Gibbs Racing — plus a victory in the exhibition Clash at the Coliseum — over the first 11 races. Again, Hamlin is in the mix to win his first career Cup title. Again, Hamlin knows his season will be judged not on his start, but on his finish.

Can he ever get over the hump in the No. 11 Toyota and score NASCAR’s biggest prize, the pursuit of which has caused him all kinds of heartache through the years?

Sure, he can. But if he doesn’t win it all, Hamlin seems at peace with the knowledge that his career has hovered in the rarified air as one of the best in NASCAR history.

His 54th career win — one he predicted on his podcast — was just the latest reminder of his elite ability behind the wheel. Hamlin tied Lee Petty for 12th on the career wins list, and only Hall of Famers Kyle Busch and recently-retired Kevin Harvick are ahead of him.

Hamlin can’t knock ’em.

As for the “does a championship define greatness?” crowd, Hamlin told the haters to take a hike.

“I know that I’m a championship-caliber driver,” Hamlin said. “I’ll just say it. I think there’s been worse drivers to win a championship than me.”

Hamlin had some fun after the race when he pointed toward the Dover scoring pylon with his 11 in the top spot and posted a photo on social media with the caption “ pylon works.” Hamlin trolled Talladega and Texas after the tracks removed the scoring pylons in moves that offended NASCAR traditionalists.

At last check, Phoenix Raceway, the site of the NASCAR championship race, still had a scoring pylon.

Winning that title sure would be nice. Ending the season with a few more wins to jolt him higher on the careers list just might be even better.

“It’s my personal goal, in my career I want to get to a number that puts me well inside that top 10 of race winners,” he said. “I think that will speak for itself and the resume.”