Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 5, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday prior to qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
How do you go out and win a championship with all that’s going on off track?
“I think it’s pretty simple. Just need to prepare the best you can and do the best you can on Sunday. I think, you know, it’s more of a question for my team and I would ask them ‘has your driver never not been prepared? Has he never given 100%?’ Never. I’ve certainly talked about it, probably a year or so ago when it came down to this and I became more comfortable with what the result was. No matter what, whether I win a championship or not, I’m going to make sure I can sleep at night knowing that I gave it my all for my team. Certainly, there’s been some circumstances over time that I haven’t been able to control, but to not let those situations affect me. Certainly, this is a situation I can control and I give the team the proper preparation and make sure that when I get in the race car on Sunday, they know through my actions on the track that I’m 100% in it and focused.”
Were you part of the group that walked the new ROVAL layout and how different is the new section and your strategy for those corners?
“Yes, I was there. I think it’s set up for chaos, truthfully. I think that they were very strategic, making sure to put us to a decision what might be fast, the normal racing line will be fast, but there will be an option to short cut it and just wipe out whoever’s in front of you. Whatever reason would we have changed it, other than to create more chaos and things like that. And I certainly think it’ll be that way.”
What has been the reaction with the current lawsuit of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v. NASCAR?
“You know, I feel like the reaction has been positive on our end. Of course, I think that (pause). My Jordan (Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing) sent me an awesome clip from ‘The Moneyball,’ where John Henry was saying ‘the first one through the wall always gets bloodied.’ But, in the end, it’s because you’re threatening the status quo and threatening people’s jobs and things like that. I hope it’s not seen that way, just seeing that this is certainly an opportunity for us to try to promote change in the sport that’s positive for everyone. And that’s teams, drivers, fans, everyone. I feel like, certainly on our end, that’s actually been good for me. This is not like just one day, we woke up and said ‘this is going to happen.’ This has been on the plate for a while. And certainly, from my standpoint, it’s provided more relief for me to put more focus on the No. 11 car and everything I have to do there since it’s out, done and now there’s other people out to speak on it, from the legality standpoint.”
Do you know what the recent bad finishes of the No. 45 team could be attributed to?
“Yeah, they’re just in a little slump right now and I can’t emphasize enough how much the sport has ebbs and flows of that. We (No. 11 team), in the spring, we were knocking good finishes down, leading laps and winning races. And then all of a sudden, in the summer, nothing changed from a speed standpoint, our results were just horrendous and for various reasons. And during that time, the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) had very, very good results. They were getting, and you can see it from a statistical and analytical point of view, they were getting finishes that were better than their speed at times. Now, again this sport, you have these ebbs and flows and you’re not always going to be the fastest, but it just seems like the averages are now working themselves out. And, certainly, some of it too is the schedule and certainly these tracks that we’ve run. Four races in the Playoffs, it’s just hard to get results. That’s why you’ve seen people and some of the underdogs in the Playoffs being some of the top point scorers as this format itself creates chaos. And then when you throw in tracks like you have, you’re just going to see a random lottery ball come out at times. Some time, it may call your number, maybe it doesn’t.”
How does this week/weekend compare to chaotic situations you’ve dealt with in the past?
“Yeah, I would say Dustin (Long, NBC Sports), that they’re pretty similar. If it was personal issues in the past or rivalries with other drivers, that always takes a certain amount of time of focus, right? But I’ve also always been one of those that doesn’t want to be consumed with this 24 hours a day, like the driving aspect. I would get burnt out if I raced as much as Kyle Larson or Kyle Busch. That’s just not my style of coming out here and competing. Make no mistake, the competitor in me, you don’t think I don’t want to come out here and win this weekend more than any? That’s what I fuel myself on, making the 18-foot on hole 18 to win the match. Like, I live for those moments. So, certainly, anyone that knows me personally will tell you that these moments, you’ll typically get more out of Denny because I hate to lose and certainly will not justify any excuses to losing. And so, I’m going to give it all I can, and to answer your question directly, it’s very similar and a big thing, when you think about it. But this isn’t a responsibility I’m taking all myself, right? We have a team that handles this now and they’re now speaking upon it and acting upon it. Really, the work’s been done on my standpoint, you just let them do their work and things will work themselves out.”
Is there anything else you must do for your team this weekend?
“Of course. I think Chirs (Gabehart, crew chief) is a great leader for our team. He makes sure that I’m prepared and no matter what, I’ve had many things conflicting on my schedule for quite some time. But always, if a request comes for the No. 11 team, it supersedes anything else. Chris will tell you I’ll cancel anything I need to cancel to make sure the No. 11 team gets what they need from me first. And like this week, going to Charlotte (Motor Speedway) and checking out the track (ROVAL), hours before a big moment, it doesn’t matter. That’s what they needed from me, getting my eyes on it and processing it. What do I need? What are we going to fight here? That’s part of the process of being good in this sport, and I’m going to make sure I give that.”
How do you go about the lawsuit situation where it doesn’t become a lose-lose situation for all sides?
“Yeah, I’m not really sure and can’t speak to that part of it. I think it’s been stated in statements by Michael Jordan that he loves NASCAR. We’ve obviously invested heavily in NASCAR and reinvested what I got out of this sport as a driver back into it as an owner. Certainly, we love the sport, just would love to see change as well.”
With all the financial commitment 23XI Racing has made to the sport, do you think it’s been appreciated by the other side?
“Probably not.”
Does your strategy tomorrow depend on where you start?
“I don’t think so. No. From the No. 11 team’s approach, certainly, we feel we’re in a spot where we’re going to do like most teams and go out there and race and try to race upfront and live with the result. If we have a bad result and get crashed, that’s part of superspeedway racing. Certainly, you would see from the outside, they learned their lesson from Atlanta, but Atlanta was very unique in the sense I had the ability to go up there and race without being crashing myself and others, so I stayed out of there until that time came at the very end. Here, at Talladega, handling is not going to be as big of an issue. So, I think, certainly, my strategy is going to be put the gas down. Again, there’s going to be situations where fuel mileage is going to be a thing and what not. But yeah, I think my strategy, whether I qualify first or last, will be the same.”
How does your driving style here change in this car vs the old car?
“Not even close. I wish that I felt like I had a bigger role in what our result would be this weekend. Obviously, all the things I’ve learned from Dale Earnhardt Jr. And Tony Stewart, some of the greats I’ve watched make moves and make runs, it’s just a different world today and more about where the spotter tells you to go, as they can see the bigger picture and make sure you’re staying in the right line. And at that point, yeah it does come down to some good techniques if you’re in those first three or four cars, but the days driving from the back to the front are over. You just have to do the best you can to execute and it’s just the biggest name of the game on this track now.”
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