“He Certainly Exposed Me”: Denny Hamlin Unearths His & Michael Jordan’s Prodigy’s Contribution to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Early Sonoma Success

Often dubbed as the best driver to have never won the Cup championship, 42-year-old Denny Hamlin is still chasing the elusive title despite being a dominating presence in the sport for close to 20 years. However, this weekend, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran registered the fastest time on track in the qualifying at Sonoma Raceway, closely followed by his and Michael Jordan‘s driver, Tyler Reddick.

Speaking to the press ahead of the highly anticipated road course race, Hamlin revealed how Reddick helped the whole Toyota camp to up their game. The veteran came out with a blunt admission as he credited the #45 driver for getting the best out of him.

He also reflected on how far the Toyotas have come up this season with an impressive win at the Circuit of The Americas, though they clearly struggled to do the same last year.

Denny Hamlin reveals how Tyler Reddick has made a huge difference in the Toyota camp

Ever since its inception in 2020, 23XI Racing has been the favorite among the community for all the good reasons. Moreover, the proud Toyota team has certainly boosted the morale of the whole Toyota camp in recent years.

Earlier this year, Tyler Reddick brought the team’s first road course victory at the coveted COTA track. Recently, during the pre-race media interaction, the team’s co-owner Denny Hamlin revealed how Reddick’s presence in the Toyota camp has brought back the momentum as he made an honest admission.

“He certainly exposed me and, you know, my lack of skills,” said a humble Hamlin and added how the 27-year-old has influenced him and prompted him to go the extra mile. He added, “You always want people to challenge you and challenge you to be better. And I think that when Tyler came over here this year, we knew that he was gonna be the bar we had to set ourselves against.”

Hamlin also shared how team simulations with his driver have helped him to constantly evolve this game. “When I go to COTA and I’m in the simulator, well more than a second slower than he is, and you know, then I just think about alright how many road courses we got left and how can I cut down by the time we get to Sonoma and then how can I cut it down by the time we get to Chicago.”

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As Hamlin heaped praise on Reddick, he also made sure he credited his team for their support, adding, “While Tyler helped a lot, you know, I got to give credit to 23XI really helped me quite a bit this week as well.” Hamlin later reiterated his point as he mentioned Toyota’s stride this year while mentioning the obvious nature of the sport.

Hamlin gives his take on the evolution of Toyota this year

Ahead of his race at Sonoma, Denny Hamlin’s performance in qualifying certainly has set the track on fire. Though he is known for his short track bursts and his invaluable experience on speedways, the veteran has managed the best time out of the roster, that too in one of the toughest road courses on the schedule.

Hamlin was closely followed by Reddick himself who is looking to redeem himself after his awful ordeal at Gateway. Speaking to the press, Hamlin shared how Toyota as a manufacturer has evolved as he compared last year’s situation to this year’s.

He said, “I think you know, Tyler is certainly an element of it but certainly I think our cars are better. I think that last year we were at a pretty big disadvantage on tracks like this, which disadvantage here gave us advantages at other tracks.” He also pointed out how the cars this year offer better useability as they are put together well.

With hours left for the race, will the veteran successfully fend off the attack while maintaining his top position or will his NASCAR driver, Tyler Reddick seize the opportunity? Tell us what you think in the comments down below.

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