Denny Hamlin on His Controversial Restart – “I Wasn’t Going to Let Them Have an Advantage”

Controversies and Denny Hamlin certainly go hand-in-hand. Though he should be receiving praises post his win, Hamlin has only been subjected to accusations. The JGR driver jumped the final restart so that it could provide him with a clear advantage of steering clear. The accusation was also brought forward by none other than his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. However, NASCAR authorities seem to have let Hamlin off easily this time.

Did Hamlin really jump the final restart to be in an advantageous position? The 43-year-old star answers himself.

Denny Hamlin on “jumping” the final restart

In a post-race interview, Hamlin faced an awkward question. Someone asked about how Truex Jr felt about his jumping, and what was his strategy at that point. In response to that, Hamlin mentioned that he went at it for sure as soon as the whistle blew. He expressed that he didn’t want other drivers to benefit from the advantages that his teammates had earned on pit road.

Hamlin said, “Yeah I mean, I went right at it for sure. I did that because I saw those guys rolling to me. The 22 was laying back, the 19 was rolling a couple of miles an hour quicker than I was. So I wasn’t going to let them have an advantage that my team earned on pit road. So, I certainly made sure I, you know, once my nose got there, I took off right away. But still, you know, we were side by side and down the water into turn 1.”

Even though he is a fellow teammate, Truex Jr’s frustrations are understandable. He led an astounding 228 laps and pretty much deserved the victory. But Hamlin crashed his plans in the final restart. Truex Jr finished at P4. We just hope that this incident won’t turn into an internal team rivalry.

A significant Richmond outing for Team JGR

The JGR team had a spectacular start to this Cup Series, with all their drivers in Top 6. Truex Jr is at the top position with 270 points, followed by Hamlin and Ty Gibbs at number 3 and 4. Christopher Bell is at 6.

Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team executed a critical pit stop, propelling the star to the lead. He maintained that advantage, ultimately securing the Toyota Owners 400 victory. This achievement marked Hamlin’s 53rd career NASCAR Cup Series win, his second of the season. It also marked his fifth triumph at the 0.75-mile Richmond oval.

It remains no doubt that the JGR team is the most consistent team of the season so far. If they maintain this level of performance throughout the season, it is highly probable that we’ll see a champion emerge from their ranks.