Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, watches from atop the team hauler during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 16, 2013
Photo – Kevin C Cox/Getty Images

Last season, there were signs that perhaps, Denny Hamlin was getting his priorities straight and that he was laying a solid foundation to challenge for the Sprint Cup championship in the 2013 season.

Considering a number of distractions so early in the season, and while Hamlin is now sixth in points and 41 points away from the leader, one can’t help but wonder, what the future holds for the rest of the season for him and his team.

For contrast purposes, consider one characteristic that stood out in last year’s championship run – ‘focus.’

In 2012, Brad Keselowski had an extraordinary focus on his championship contention, when after his win at Chicagoland Speedway, he declared his determination on winning the championship and then backed up his statements for the remaining nine races of the Chase. Even when the five-time champion, Jimmie Johnson tried to get into his head to create an imbalance, Keselowski stayed his course and eventually celebrated his team’s accomplishment to bring home the Sprint Cup title at Homestead-Miami. For Keselowski, it didn’t matter what anyone else was saying or doing, he set his sight and priority on the next race toward his goal.

During discussions, throughout last year’s Chase, Denny Hamlin’s name came up as a potential candidate for the championship, yet there was a feeling, that it would not be in the cards for the 2012 season. Many know Hamlin has the driving skill and talent, but what many also see is that Hamlin lacks a level of maturity and innate ability to manage his personal emotions in a way that keeps him on track toward his goal. Having said that, and as stated at the beginning, there have been signs that Hamlin was moving in the right direction during the latter part of the 2012 season and many thought 2013 might be his season to shine.

But unlike last year’s champion, Hamlin has not backed up those glimmering signs of hope for his fans, within the opening weeks of the new season. And while many stood in support of Hamlin when penalized by NASCAR, in reality, there have been distractions and decisions that hold the potential to continue his trend of derailing his own success.

While many, including myself, feel that what Hamlin said after the Phoenix race was not worthy of the penalty levied by NASCAR, what many fail to understand, including Denny Hamlin, is NASCAR manages the sport’s environment with their rules – it’s their sandbox. Every NASCAR sanctioned driver has agreed to abide by those rules. And while Hamlin decided to not file an appeal, to avoid the distraction to himself and his team, he continued to challenge the governing body by refusing to pay the fine. NASCAR’s response, could have resulted in suspension for failure to pay, as they did with Carl Long, but they are choosing to move on and simply take the fine from Hamlin’s future earnings. While NASCAR certainly recognize Hamlin’s talent, they also see his resistance of their authority and it occurs, at least to me, it may not soon be forgotten.

Now we come to the fourth race of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway, a track known to test the emotions of many drivers over the years. What fans learned this weekend, is  fuming below the surface, has been an ongoing rivalry between former teammates Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. That rivalry came to a head on the track this weekend, once again, creating a distraction for Hamlin and his team. And once again, Hamlin’s choice was not to keep his focus on the race, thinking long-term, he chose the short-term path to challenge his rival on the track by tapping the back of his car and spinning him into the wall. Then when Logano came to talk to him after the race, Hamlin’s FedEx team chose to shove and push Logano a little more, creating a scene and more distraction, not complimentary of a potential championship team.

Rather than moving on and nurturing a potential ally on the track from his former teammate, Hamlin and his team have now solidified their opposition and rivalry, reaffirming the potential for pay-back down the road. And pay-back has a way of arriving just when one least needs it, especially if they’re serious about contending for a championship.

Add to the equation, Hamlin’s bravado in standing up to the governing body, one has to wonder if Hamlin and his team truly understand how they are working against their own goals. Even, if they continue to fight and claw their way to a title, will their actions reflect the demeanor of sportsmanship, an admirable quality of a real champion? No, not really.

If Hamlin, wants to build on his current trending choices, he’s creating a no-win situation for both him and his team. Keeping the proverbial chip on his shoulder, he ‘might’ push and shove his way to a championship, but his trophy will forever be tarnished by his and his team’s lack of sportsmanship, taking away from his talent on the track.

The other possibility for Hamlin’s continued trend, is as he continues to lose focus and create more distraction, allowing his emotions to interfere with his goals, the championship will also remain elusive of his grasp.

Unfortunately, the lack of maturity, and focus remains Hamlin’s biggest challenge, and it’s just a matter of time to see if Hamlin has the will-power and stamina to overcome his weaknesses and build on his strengths – that is the strengths of a role-model champion.

Denny Hamlin’s biggest challenge centers on his choices and the test of time will reveal what decision he ultimately makes for his future.

This will be a topic of discussion by our Fan4Racing roundtable tonight, March 18th on Fan2Fan NASCAR Talk. The radio show begins at 8:30pm ET with guest Joey Coulter, Camping World Truck Series driver. Call 347-996-5176 to interact with Joey Coulter and to join our NASCAR hot topics discussion.