Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 9, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Christopher Bell was clear he feels cheated and that there was race manipulation going on, did you see that and think that your teammate was cheated out of a spot in the Championship 4?
“I do. I agree with him (Christopher Bell). I think that – but it’s hard to put truthfully a whole lot of fault on those that did it because they’re kind of doing what they’re told and what they’re typically even not told. They just know kind of the protocol in which it goes by so it’s really tough obviously. Certainly, the 24 (William Byron) was in a bad spot and obviously going to lose many spots until they let up. It is what is it and there were penalties. Whether that deters stuff going forward, that’s still TBD.”
Do you still believe that the 23 had a tire going down at Martinsville?
“Yeah, I feel that – we looked at the right rear tire and there was no pinholes left. There was no pinholes at all so the tire had gone completely bald. Very similar to what Carson Hocevar’s did earlier in the race. He had the same thing happen to him late in a run. But it’s water under the bridge and certainly we’re moving on.”
What is the next step for 23XI after losing the ruling yesterday?
“The first part is, we’re obviously pleased with the ruling that the judge sees merits in the case. He’s going to move forward to expedite it and expedite the discovery side of it, which is a reverse from what he had before. Obviously, judging on it without prejudice and obviously giving us an opportunity to refile once the situation changes because he knows that things will change over the next few months. Obviously, he understands the complexity of it and obviously understands that this situation is fluid, and we obviously could see some pretty bad harm coming up.”
Do you have any indication of what will happen with the charter?
“No, I don’t have any indication of it – I don’t.”
What will you be watching or saying to Tyler Reddick as a team owner as he competes for a championship tomorrow?
“Just for him, I think it’s just taking a breath, going day by day, right? Not getting too wound up over one practice session or one qualifying session. The Championship is a long way from being crowned, right? We’ve got lots of laps around this place and I certainly think that he’ll have a great shot when it’s all said and done. But, just enjoying it. Truthfully, I think that my first time having a shot in the last race I didn’t enjoy the moment quite as much as I should have because I was nervous and certainly, it’s hard not to get nervous. But I certainly think that he was probably wound a little bit tight yesterday, and I think today is a new day.”
As a competitor or team owner, what would you like to see the Playoff format become if they make changes?
“Just a bigger sample size. That’s the biggest thing. However, you come about it, I think that there’s tons of discussion on ways that could improve it. I agree the Playoffs will never go away which is quite alright, but certainly the small sample size is really tough because obviously you’ve seen the data and could argue the first four out, the first four in. The sample size was so small there that it certainly jumbled up the results a little bit. Look at this weekend, right? The 7 (Justin Allgaier), an innocent bystander has got to go to a backup car which is probably not going to be as good as his primary. Racing has so many variables to it, you have to create a larger sample size to get the true answer. So, I just believe we don’t live in a one-on-one sport, we don’t get a seven-game series or anything like that – we live in a world where in our sport only when our competition makes a mistake, it can cost us. Usually, in any other sport, competition makes a mistake you capitalize, and you score, or it benefits you. Our sport is not like that so you must create a bigger sample size to get the right answer, and I just think that right now we’ve just narrowed it down to try to get these exciting moments week in and week out and I just think there’s a long-term negative effect to that.”
Have you given any more consideration to what can be done to lessen the manufacturer’s involvement on race day?
“I haven’t put any more thought into it, but we all have to realize that the manufacturers are probably these team’s biggest sponsors. And so, they’re going to do what their sponsors want them to do because we are a sponsor driven sport. So, I just don’t know how you’re going to avoid it. We can try to come up with finding ways to not say it over the radio, but there will be so many code words you’ll never understand it and it will be too hard to prove. I hate to say it – we’re never going to stop looking out for our sponsors.”
Can you speak on the driver and person Martin Truex Jr. has been to you over the years?
“I’ve got a lot of great memories with Martin (Truex Jr.), but just really overall I’d just say he’s just an awesome person and one of the best teammates that you’ll ever have. I aspire to have a career like him where in my final race I have a chance to win, and he does. He just – I like that he’s kind of going out on his way in his time under his terms. I really kind of admire his independence as a person and certainly really admire his professionalism as a teammate.”
What are the ups and downs of going through the lawsuit compared to the ups and downs as a race car driver?
“Yeah, I mean, truthfully, I hadn’t been in a courtroom since maybe I was 11. I got sued. I was riding my bike as a kid and a car hit me and they ended up suing me. I know, they lost (laughter). Her brother owned a law firm, so – but anyway. It’s been a while. My adrenaline was pumping because obviously you hear the arguments and what not and of course we feel very adamant on our side of things. Certainly, when you wake up on Friday morning and you know something is coming, you’re nervous because obviously I’ve poured a lot into this sport in multiple ways and certainly financially over the last four years. I’ve put back a lot of the money I got out of it back into it and certainly all could wiped away pretty quickly. Certainly, it’s a nervous time for me and we just hope that this thing gets resolved in a peaceful manner or in a correct manner to fix it. I’m just – it’s got its ups and downs for sure, but it’s difficult because you can’t control it right? I can’t rely on my instincts or things like that to change the outcome or the results. It’s just the facts are the facts. I’ve just never been a part of anything like this, but certainly hate that we’re in the situation that we’re in after everything that we’ve put into the support over the last four years.”
Do you remain confident that you’ll have cars at the Clash and Daytona 500?
“I think it’s all TBD. There’s certain things that we’re going to have to navigate so I hope so.”
What were you sued for when you were a kid?
“Like, mental stress or distress.”
What do you need to do between now and when we roll out at Daytona to be a contender again?
“Between now and Daytona, I’m really not sure there. Certainly, I thought that as an organization we had lost a little bit of the speed in the summer. It’s just people talk a lot about kind of peaking too early and things like that but I don’t believe that. I think that when you hit it, you hit it. It just seemed like the field got a little faster throughout the summer and we were obviously firing off really, really well. In the Round of 8, I finished third, fifth and eighth. I lowered my average finish from the regular season to the Playoffs – I lowered it by two or three spots. So, every year in the Playoffs, except for maybe very, very few, I’ve been better in the Playoffs than I do in the regular season, but we heard Christopher (Bell) say it, when you have three bottom guys win, I didn’t have enough bonus points to be part of the picture for that last points spot. I don’t know, you’ve just got to have circumstances fall in a better fashion for me. Is there anyone that thinks Justin Allgaier’s not a deserving Xfinity Champion, but it just hasn’t happened, right? For various reasons. It’s just – this sport is weird.”
How big of a dynamic is it for NASCAR if 23XI wins the championship tomorrow but can’t race in 2025?
“Furniture Row did it. They ceased to exist after a championship. I think that depending who you ask, I think on one side they could care less whether you’re here or not and for us, we certainly have got a lot of people that have put their heart and souls into this team and want to see it succeed. And certainly, we’ve got an obligation to our team to try to do everything we can to have a fair system. So, we’re just one of the ones that got stuck on the front line and so it’s part of it. Trust me, there’s nothing more we want than to win this weekend. Certainly, there’s a lot of emphasis on trying to win this race and Tyler’s (Reddick) is going to give it his best go. This is a really, really new team and certainly it was an accomplishment to get to this point.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 30 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
