Denny Hamlin has always been known to voice a clear opinion when it comes to any happenings in the NASCAR world – be it off-court or on-court. The Martinsville Speedway saw a pool of controversies and it seems as though every day the knot gets more complex than ever. Just as viewers were understanding how the Chevy lobby worked, fans pointed out that there might be another lobby at work too – Toyota!

Allegations of Bubba Wallace helping Christopher Bell have been making rounds, and with every passing day, it seems to get more complicated than ever. Hamlin has been vocal about what he feels about Wallace helping Bell and reveals insider information about Toyota. 

Denny Hamlin comes to Toyota’s rescue

One cannot dismiss the fact that the Martinsville Speedway was probably one of the most high-tension races of all time. It had pushed drivers to test their limits along with those of the teams. One driver who tried his best to make ends meet and emerge victorious is none other than Christopher Bell. Byron was ahead of Bell by one point, and based on where they were running, it seemed to be a tire breaker. However, just as fans waited with bated breath, it seemed as though Wallace slowed down, allowing Bell to gain an edge. While preliminarily it seemed as though Wallace had a flat tire, in reality, whispers are that he faked it. 

Despite Wallace slowing down and Bell taking advantage of the momentum, he was unable to make it count. Bell rose from the high wall and this led to the imitation of Ross Chastain’s infamous Hail Melon move. Hailing this as a safety violation, Bell received a penalty and he lost his position in the Top 4 after losing out on points. This seemed to be a major bummer, and while Bell lost his spot, there were remarks that he was helped by Wallace.

Wallace is a fellow 23XI Toyota driver which is co-owned by none other than Denny Hamlin. Keeping in mind that Hamlin is an integral part of Joe Gibbs’ Racing and Bell also being a part of the same Toyota community as Wallace, it does seem like a possibility. Reacting to the same, Hamlin divulged some details in an episode of Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin. He said, “And what we’re doing here, for those listening, is we are speculating. The only thing I can tell you for a fact — because I am part of the Toyota Racing team — is Toyota Racing never, not once this week, told 23XI to do anything for JGR. They were not involved whatsoever”. 

Throughout the conversation, Denny Hamlin did mention that he is aware of how manufacturers have become an integral part of the racing bodies. Given that these manufacturers bring in a lot of monetary benefits with them, it might seem difficult for NASCAR to come to a stance. However, Hamlin also revealed that while he has been a part of the Toyota fraternity, there has been no such communication to him to follow a particular stance while racing. He said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a conversation saying, if this happens, then you have to do this.” 

They’ve left it up to the teams, saying, “You guys figure this out, right? We’re going to provide you what we provide you, but we hope you work together.” But that’s it. There’s never been any rules, and I can only speak for Toyota because I’m part of it. There’s never been any rules that Toyota has laid out to say, this is what we want you to do, ever.” Hamlin has been driving Toyota since 2017 now and it seems as though he is quite confident that while other names might be involved in foul play, Toyota has always maintained a safe stance. 

Wallace and 23XI Under Speculation After Martinsville 

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It seems as though NASCAR has now taken a firm stand although there are possibilities of manufacturer involvement. NASCAR investigations came to the final decision that along with the Chevy drivers Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon who were involved in a lobby, Wallace had a flat tire, which some fans believe was a fake. This is a clear violation of NASCAR rules and leads to major penalization and fines. Bubba Wallace, and his team 23XI received a fine of $100,000. However, it does not end here!

Wallace will also have to go into the Phoenix Finals without his crew chief Robert Barker, spotter Freddie Kraft, and finally team executive Dave Rogers. Each of these members has to go through a one-race suspension which will mark their absence. To add to that, Wallace and his team will also be losing 50 points off the standings, which could indeed be a heavy battle to fight. 

While 23XI did have the means to opt in for an appeal and initially planned to execute the same, in the end, they ended up withdrawing the plan. This came as an announcement after the team decided that they wanted to concentrate on the race and did not want to dedicate too many resources towards fighting this battle although they thought that Wallace was not accountable. Do you think that Team 23XI took the right stance or should they have made it to the appeal?