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TALLADEGA, ALABAMA – OCTOBER 04: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 McDonald’s Toyota, is congratulated on the grid by Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, (R) after winning the rain-shortened NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 04, 2021 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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TALLADEGA, ALABAMA – OCTOBER 04: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 McDonald’s Toyota, is congratulated on the grid by Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, (R) after winning the rain-shortened NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 04, 2021 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
During the Race: Bubba Wallace documentary series, Wallace talked about a number of things, including the 23XI Racing Boss Denny Hamlin. One of the conversations was about a certain bad habit of Hamlin’s that he was notorious for. This particular incident was sometime before the first dirt race at the Bristol Motor Speedway in the 2021 season. As it turns out, the two of them decided to travel together, and Wallace knew about Hamlin’s punctuality issues.
He said, “So we’re flying out on Denny’s plane. Denny is notorious for being late. Man! My last time I flew out with him, he was about 45 minutes late. I can’t really say late, because it’s his plane, but I’m going to give him 15. I’m going to say 12:15 we’re taking off.”
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Denny Hamlin had the last laugh at Bubba Wallace
However, when the 23XI Racing driver finally boarded the plane, he was in for a big surprise. As it turned out, Hamlin had somehow managed to reach before Wallace and was waiting for him on the plane. As a result, Hamlin was able to have a laugh at his friend’s expense, as Bubba Wallace must have been foolishly waiting around.

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 06: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 DoorDash Toyota, talks with co-team owner Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, after the last chance qualifying race for the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 06, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
On a different note, Wallace did not enjoy a good day in the office at Bristol, ending up 27th. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin went on to finish in a fine 3rd place. Fast-forward to the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, and the 28-year-old is enjoying a relatively decent beginning to his campaign.
After a sluggish start at the LA Coliseum, he almost won the Daytona 500, ultimately finishing 2nd. Hamlin on the other hand retired after encountering problems at the Coliseum and crashed out at Daytona. Now, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is seeking redemption, while Bubba Wallace is hunting for his second career win.
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