TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 11, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing:
How are you doing?
“Good. Feel like we’re kind of getting back into the swing of things. Certainly, would be lying and saying I am as highly motivated as I’ve been in years past. I said last week that I would just take some time. Every day at a racetrack is certainly getting there. I know I’m way too competitive to just go through the motions. So, as we get on the racetrack and go through practices and qualifying, we are slowly getting there.”
Could some of the events of the past couple of months be a motivator for you?
“Everyone has different motivating factors, no doubt about it. I feel good about the last race my Dad got to see I was at my best. He got to see as good as I’ll ever be, he got to see that moment. I don’t know where it goes from here, but I certainly feel as though I’m a competitive person and I’m motivated by winning. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing, whether I’m racing or doing a hobby or whatever that might be. I just haven’t been in that fierce competitor type of mindset in months and months now. It’s just now starting to get back. Last week was a good warm up for that. Still wasn’t all the way there, I’m still not all the way there today, but we’re getting there.”
Will you be able to summon up the level of commitment this year that you had last year as you pursued the Championship?
“Simply because of how competitive I am, that’s where it comes out. The format is a little different, so it’s not going to be all about the one race. How can I distribute that effort into those 10 races at the end of the season, all of that is going to matter. But, it’s still there. I’ve still got plenty of fire left and plenty of ability left and it will happen more natural than you would think.”
How do you get back into a routine as the season starts?
“It’s days like this where I’m getting fitted back into the racecar, braking and going up through the gears. Those are the things that really get you excited for this race weekend. For me personally, it’s a way for me to understand I’m back in the routine now.”
What would a fourth Daytona 500 win put you amongst other drivers?
“Every win that gets you here puts you in a certain list. The list is so small at that four number, it certainly was on my mind on the last lap last year when we were leading, that we are going to get another one. I’ve just been really lucky to have the opportunities I’ve had to win these races, but also been very unfortunate in the NextGen era to not have won more. I feel as though the opportunity will be there, and hopefully we can put ourselves in position to move ourselves up that Daytona 500 winners board.”
What has been your role in reshaping the landscape of NASCAR?
“I heard from most of all the team owners and one way, shape, or form. We really stuck our neck out for all the race teams. There’s no doubt it would have not lasted as long as it did if we were just looking to change for ourselves. We were very adamant that the changes had to be given to the rest of the race teams and hopefully they can appreciate that.”
How did your shoulder hold up during the Clash?
“It was ok. Truthfully, it wasn’t too bad. Most of the soreness came the day after, where usually at the end of 2023, I was getting fatigued a bit at the end of races. I didn’t have any of that at the Clash, so I’m in a better position then I was then, but we are only on race one of the long season. I think it’s yet to be seen where it goes from here.”
Is it going to be different at a place like Martinsville where you have to do the same things in a tight oval for 500 laps?
“Really the preparation happens during the week, making sure I’m activating all the muscles behind it so I’m helping support it. I don’t have the rotator like it’s supposed to be there. Most of that work comes during the week. Pre-race I do things to try to loosen it up as much as I possibly can. It’s going to be week to week. But on the racetrack, I don’t think there will be a time where I’m holding the car back from performing.”
Have you talked to Michael (Jordan) about loss?
“No. He obviously reached out multiple times and offered any help he could. Since we were in Winston-Salem, he knew a lot of people in that area. Not really, we didn’t talk about that kind of stuff, more so with Joe (Gibbs). Joe is certainly someone who is very, very, special to me and has been. Joe beat me to the hospital the night of. He’s just unbelievable how he is as a leader and obviously he has been through it. My connection on that personal level is more so with Joe, and it’s always been that way since he took over as my at-track Dad.”
Do you feel comfort knowing Joe Gibbs went and spent time with your Dad and prayed with him?
“He made it a point to go if not every week, every other week to visit him for the bulk of last year. Talked stories with him, prayed with him. My Dad was really trying to get right with the Lord last year and felt like Joe was someone who kind of helped with that. It’s not like my parents lived right down the street, he took his time out of his day to go visit him and share stories. I know my dad really, really appreciated that.”
Do you think anything would be different if they had made the format change to the Chase last year?
“I don’t think so, but who knows. I don’t think we would have won anyway because I had multiple blown engines in the playoffs last year. Those are the things the champion will not have. I don’t think you are going to have multiple DNF’s in 10 races. I think you can have a bad race, I just don’t think multiple DNF’s are something you are going to be able to overcome without winning lots of races. I think the format is better for me, it’s better for the top six or seven who run up front every week. That’s who it’s going to benefit and that’s who the champion is going to be. The other people have flashes, but it’s always going to be the same six or seven.”
Jimmie Johnson’s championship run started 20 years ago this week. When you look back on that and you’ve been so close, how amazing was what he accomplished in that stretch?
“It was amazing because I had to go against it, and it was really, really, really tough to beat. Back then things were different, the teams could build extremely fast race cars. The advantages your team could build into your car were just a lot bigger than what it is today. You can’t build that much speed in your car like you could back then. Those records probably won’t be broken because of how diversified the field is and how much parity is in our sport now. All I can speak to is what I competed against which was one of the best drivers I’ve ever seen and competed against in Jimmie (Johnson).
Do you have a specific track you’ve found the most challenging in your career?
“Darlington is the most challenging track. Just because of how narrow it is and how small of a lane you have to hit to go fast at that track, physically demanding. That’s definitely the far and away the toughest.”
With this Chase format, how important is it to get off to a good start this year?
“Is it critical, no. But is it important, I think so. Starting the race season with two speedway races could cause panic if you think you should be one place and find yourself somewhere else after the first two races. If I’m down I won’t panic. Take a deep breath, we are about to go to the tracks where we can score 60 points. It’s all going to work itself out in the wash eventually, but there will be a two-race panic for some guys.”
From the final pit stop of the Daytona 500 until the end of the race, what does the intensity feel like?
“I need you to tell me how much fuel I’ve got, where I’m at, how many teammates are around me, what line I’m in and how many laps are to go because it constantly changes. For me as a general rule of thumb, I want to be in the top eight inside 20 laps to go. I think that’s where you have to be. There’s not enough passing after that last stage until the very, very end and you are not going to do it from 15th. When you get inside that last fuel window and at that point it’s all circumstantial. Last year I thought for sure we were going to win it, just where we were and who we were racing and I was positioning ourselves and then you just crash. That’s just the Daytona 500 nowadays, getting crashed is a large possibility. I don’t think I’ve finished well in the NextGen era here, but I’ve ran well. I’ve been very unfortunate. I’m still trying to figure out how to finish these races without getting crashed in any way, shape, or form.”
It seemed like you had fans cheering for you more at the end of last year. Did you feel that as well?
“I’m into whatever the fans want to do. It’s the noise that you really want. The fans have been really supportive over the last few months and after Phoenix and how that ended it’s just how many comments and messages I got from fans. It made me feel like I was a champion even though I didn’t have the ring and the trophy. They certainly made me feel like I had accomplished what I was hoping to accomplish. If the boos turn to cheers, that will make me happy.”
How difficult is it for William Byron to get three Daytona 500 wins in-a-row?
“It’s hard. You’re going to need things to fall your way. In 2021, I legit thought we were going to get three in-a-row, we led the most laps in that race. Just was really fast, but didn’t work out on the last pit sequence. There’s an element of fortunate there that has to fall your way. Last year, he was fortunate on the last lap there, but if you put yourself in the top eight you can get fortunate at times. He puts himself in the top eight which is what matters.”
Is there more emphasis on Corey Heim getting more experience in a Cup car at Daytona or having a extra car for Toyota who all the teams can work with?
“It’s both. Giving him an opportunity on a Superspeedway to learn the NextGen car and how different it’s going to drive and feel and draft compared to a truck. But the other one is the numbers, it certainly seems at the end of these races it comes down to numbers and manufacturers and the more we can put on the racetrack the better opportunity we are going to have to win.”
With things like bringing back the Chase or drivers locked in on speed to make the Daytona 500 field, is it better for the sport to make things simple?
“The more simple things can be, the better off it will be. It helps the casual fan to understand when they are watching the duel tomorrow that they are just looking for the top two finishers, versus who falls back on time and things like that. I understand why things were the way they were for so long, but simplicity is the winner today.”
Is there a good or bad time to be the leader towards the end of the Daytona 500?
“It’s all circumstantial. I never don’t want to be in the lead, but I feel really good about being second or third. It all depends on who I’m racing against and what are their tendencies and who can I use their tendencies to help myself. There’s no bad time to be up front. While the wrecks start up front, it’s typically because the leader throws a block that then causes a chain reaction. I typically don’t throw crazy blocks that cause the wrecks because I feel comfortable up front. I don’t mind someone getting beside me and we race it out. It’s really the crazy blocks that end up causing the wrecks. I feel good about controlling the race and feel like we have a good chance if we do.”
As fans and onlookers, when you get down to the final laps of the Daytona 500 everyone moves to the edge of their seat. Do you feel that inside the car as well?
“You do. I think if you looked at everyone’s heart rate raises and continues to raise as it gets closer to the end. It’s very typical, adrenaline starts to hit at that moment. Who can slow the game down and make those crucial decisions at the end are the ones who usually end up winning. You just have to find a way to slow it all down.”
Do you have a memory of Greg Biffle you could share?
“My biggest memory of Greg Biffle was just racing him in the Xfinity Series, or O’Reilly Series now 20 some years ago. I was a rookie and he was one of the Cup guys who would come down and race on Saturday’s and just trying to beat that guy was incredibly difficult, if not impossible. He was just the gold standard for me when I came into the sport in 2004 on speed.”
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