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Denny Hamlin has won four races and has 59 top-10 finishes through his first three seasons.

Ford and Gibbs insist they've seen a change in Hamlin, a sometimes moody driver who often kept to himself and friends instead of interacting with his race team.

"I saw kind of a different Denny after that," Gibbs said. "Sometimes when things happen we disappoint ourselves, we learn from it. I thought he learned from it."

Earnhardt, who befriended Hamlin years ago and invited the up-and-coming driver to Daytona as his guest in 2004 when he won the 500, believes Hamlin is too hard on himself.

And while many believe Hamlin made foolish, immature decisions that distracted him the past several years, Earnhardt said Hamlin has nothing to regret.

"The damn kid was running a late model, what, three or four years ago? Here he is with a great team, good job, making money, living in a nice house. Basically he has the world in the palm of his hand," Earnhardt said. "Everybody makes personal mistakes and learns a little bit about being more mature, what to say and don't say. He is just too critical of himself. He is real hard on himself. He puts a lot of pressure on himself to compete at a certain level. He feels like he should be there every week.

"I know he wants more. That is the sign of a true racer and he will get it."

Hamlin has taken off-the-track steps toward proving himself, putting his bachelor pad North Carolina lakefront home on the market in a bid to remove temptations. He's also become more selective with his schedule, resisting the urge to sign up for everything that came with a paycheck.

And in a bid to give something back to fans, he's promised to buy four tickets to every race this season and give them away through his web site.

"The sport changes you. You don't want to change, but it does change you," he said. "It's all about staying focused. And you can't take things for granted."

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