Denny Hamlin Uses Jimmie Johnson Genius to Acquit Himself from Embarrassing 15-Year Slump on Legendary NASCAR Track

To the untrained eye, every oval track in the NASCAR world may appear identical. However, for seasoned fans and drivers, the subtle distinctions between each circuit are well understood. After a recent race at the renowned Dover International Speedway, it seemed that Denny Hamlin struggled to find his groove.

Subsequently, Hamlin elaborated on the challenges he encountered at this iconic venue. He also spoke about how he began devising a strategy to improve his performance on the circuit. Interestingly, this revelation came after his own co-host playfully called out the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran for his inability to excel at the track over the past 15 years. To further illustrate his point, Hamlin cleverly invoked a Jimmie Johnson reference, effectively deflecting the embarrassment.

Denny Hamlin addresses approach at Dover after co-host’s playful jab

During a conversation on his podcast, Hamlin stated, “I spent 13-14 years at that racetrack just scratching my head not understanding...” However, right after his co-host interjected and stated, “That’s what I’m wondering how can you spend 15 years studying a track and not find it?”

Hamlin then continued, “I did… a little bit of self-reflection as well. Sort of working on my craft at that racetrack as well. I started approaching the racetrack a little differently.”

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“So what that meant was that I looked at film. I studied some of the best drivers at the racetrack. And I said ‘Well, okay, if I have to drive it this way, I’m going to need something different out of my car,'” he concluded.

Hamlin uses a NASCAR legend’s example to elaborate on his point

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Furthermore, as the conversation progressed, Hamlin delved into his strategy for tackling a challenging track. And his strategy included leveraging technology in his learning and drawing inspiration from a NASCAR legend.

Hamlin mentioned, “So team works on making my car better here because I have to drive it differently and work around that. And so we just started working on getting in the simulator and fine-tuned it… I don’t know if I am gonna say it’s one of my favorite tracks. But it’s one where I really get excited to (drive) and unfortunately, we only go there once a year now.”

“But yeah, I appreciate how tough it is. It is definitely a physically tough track. I am worn the f*ck out right now. My back is killing me. But I do it’s just it’s a very technical track that, I think that you know some of the best drivers really show up that which is why you see Jimmie Johnson win there 10-12 times.”

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Hamlin’s candid remarks emphasize the physical demands and technical nature of certain tracks in the racing world. The perseverance and skill of top-tier drivers become apparent at such circuits, as exemplified by Jimmie Johnson’s multiple victories at Dover. Hopefully, with all of his findings over the years, the JGR driver can put them to use sometime in the future and perform significantly better.