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Denny Hamlin’s championship aspirations came 0.006 seconds away from evaporating at Talladega last Sunday. Fortunately for the No. 11 Toyota driver, he beat Kurt Busch to the finish line by 0.006 seconds (approximately two feet) for a third-place result that earned him the final spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Round of 8 over Austin Dillon.

Now holding the same amount of points as the remaining eight Chase-eligible drivers, Hamlin is back at square one heading into Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at his hometown track – and also one of his best tracks – Martinsville Speedway at 1 pm ET on NBCSN.

In 21 career starts at Martinsville, the Chesterfield, Virginian boasts five wins (third-most among active drivers), 11 top-five and 16 top-ten finishes. A visit to Victory Lane on Sunday would earn him a berth in the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month.

“We have some of our best tracks still coming up, and obviously that starts with Martinsville this weekend,” Hamlin said. “I have always maintained that if we can get to this Round of 8 in the Chase, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

In addition to Martinsville, Hamlin runs strong  at the other two Round of 8 tracks as well – Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. Among the remaining eight Chase drivers, Hamlin’s 10.9 average finish at the three Round of 8 tracks trails only Jimmie Johnson’s 7.9 average showing. His eight combined wins at the three ovals – five at Martinsville, two at Texas and one at Phoenix – rank third behind Johnson’s 18 and Kevin Harvick’s nine.

Despite his past success, Hamlin understands future results aren’t guaranteed.

“The competition is certainly really good at this level, so it will be up to us to perform when it counts,” he said. “We have confidence every time we go to Martinsville, and our focus this week will be to go there and get the victory.”