What’s a NASCAR race without a little bit of rivalry and drama among teammates, right? Whether it’s getting ahead of each other or spinning someone off the tracks, you can be rest assured that the drivers will be putting on the best performance every weekend! Especially now that the Cup Series is reaching its climax, the stakes have never been higher for these stock car racers.

Joe Gibbs Racing is taking the lead this time in creating memories on the track, but not in the way many might expect. After a particularly shady move from the No. 19 car, Denny Hamlin talks about his experience of what it’s like to make risky decisions during restart and how he handles competition with his teammates on the tracks.

Hamlin’s frustration with Truex’s restart blunder

During the Highpoint.com 400 race at the Pocono Raceway, Denny Hamlin was left disappointed after Martin Truex Jr.’s ill-timed restart move that supposedly cost Joe Gibbs Racing a potential victory. It all happened when Truex Jr, who was running behind Hamlin, decided to pull out of line on the restart, hoping to gain positions but ended up losing ground and caused the entire outside line to lose momentum. Which in turn gave way to their competition Ryan Blaney to pull away and race ahead.

Hamlin, who was successfully running second behind Blaney, believed that if Truex had just stayed in line and pushed him, they could have had a chance to catch Blaney before he got away. He described Truex’s move as a total “killer” and said that in his experience he knew it was inevitable with that strategy. He added that this kind of motion is a short-term gain that ultimately hurts their chances of winning altogether.

“That was a killer. I mean, it’s very difficult, and it takes a ton of discipline but when we take off at Pocono on restarts, drivers should have the mentality that this is like a Super-speedway,” Hamlin explained, narrating the incident on his podcast ‘Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin. “And that if you pull out of line, you are going to kill any of the momentum that that line had.”

The veteran driver has acknowledged that while he doesn’t expect his teammates to help him on restarts, he had communicated with Truex prior to the race about working together to help the No. 19  gain enough points to make it to the playoffs. But, Truex Jr’s decision to go against Hamlin’s better judgment is what left the driver most frustrated, as he believed they had a strong car capable of challenging for the win.

However, despite the disappointment, Denny Hamlin and his teammate’s relationship remains crucial for JGR’s success, especially now that Truex Jr. is officially entering the end of his final full-time season. The veteran duo’s combined experience and expertise can be invaluable for the organization, but will only work out if their long-standing partnership can demonstrate itself on the tracks. Which does not seem to be the case right now.

Hamlin-Truex relationship for JGR’s success

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It’s no secret that Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr are both highly qualified veteran drivers who have enjoyed tremendous success in the Cup Series individually. But their history of friendship and rivalry is a tale as old as time. This isn’t the first instance where the two drivers have butted heads on the tracks and perhaps won’t be the last for the rest of the season.

If you recall the incident at Richmond Raceway when Hamlin was able to get a jump on Truex Jr and cost him the chance to hold on to the lead. Even though the win was ultimately for the team, Truex Jr. was dispirited that his own teammate pulled something like that on him. There’s been plenty of time since then for the two to reconcile and work together, but now as Truex Jr. prepares to retire, Denny Hamlin will be required to keep his head in the game and prevent any mishaps from jeopardizing his or the team’s momentum in the future.

Whether that comes from better communication or through smart decisions mid-race, they’ll have to make it work before the playoffs roll in. Will this rivalry ever end, or can the two finally shake hands and join forces? Only time will tell as the NASCAR Cup Series gears up to take on Indianapolis Motor Speedway!