13. Denny Hamlin – 2,003 points

Though Denny Hamlin has made the playoffs in all of his full-time seasons except for one (2013), this year’s run was virtually silent until he came out swinging at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and nearly won the Brickyard 400. Hamlin knows he’s capable of contending for the crown – he narrowly missed out to Jimmie Johnson in 2010 – but he also knows that not winning won’t get him to this year’s title.