8 lbs Lighter Denny Hamlin Exposes Joe Gibbs Racing’s “Bad Decision” at Daytona

With the final regular season race coming to an end on Saturday, the racing community has gone behind the mics and cameras once again to share all their experiences and opinions on what went on and what the future holds. Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing and star driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, was no exception. Going up with long-term friend Jared Allen on their podcast ‘Action Detrimental’, the driver-owner discussed the happenings of the terrific race at Daytona.

Talking about his own chances at the race, Hamlin revealed how his team and he had made a glaring mistake that should’ve been averted. In this short breather of a week that fans have got, Hamlin’s candid revelations offer a unique glimpse into the strategic intricacies of stock car racing.

The costly mistake that Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing made

The temperature at Daytona on race night averaged around the 80 degree mark and presented a challenge for drivers piloting their 3500-pound machines. While the temperature might have been lower than the summer norms of the area, the heavy cars and their intense G-Forces would have certainly amplified the difficulty. Amidst his reflections on the racing in the heat, one regret that Denny had was the decision to not wear a “cool shirt” during the race.

He said, “I made a, well, we, the team made a very bad decision (…) We chose not to run a cool shirt yesterday (…) You kind of look at the temperature, well, it’s gonna be night, 80 degrees, no problem. It was no problem. But yeah, it was, it was a bit steamy. I did set a new record for myself for weight loss.” Denny Hamlin was thankful that the race was held at night and not on the day when things might have turned out much harder. Revealing that he’d lost a staggering 8 lbs in the 160 lap race, Hamlin got into revealing interesting details of the loss.

Is Denny Hamlin a “science experiment?”

Talking about the weight loss, Denny affirmed Jared’s question about whether he’d done the “science experiment thing”. Delving deeper into it, Denny talked about how members from the University of Florida measure the body statistics of a few drivers throughout the year. Considering the physical complexities behind competing in full body safety gears while sitting in a piping hot car, these studies are well warranted. The Joe Gibbs driver talked about all the statistics that were measured, and about how wearing a “cool shirt” might or not have helped him keep his core temperature more regulated.

Mentioning that he wears a cool shirt if the temperature is above the 90 degree mark, he said, “From what I understand, the cool shirt reduces your inner core temperature by about a degree and a half. So not, not a ton, but some, it would’ve made you a little bit more comfortable.” Adding that the shirt would have probably added a couple more pounds to the collective weight of the car and himself, he justified the decision to not wear one by saying that they wanted to get every advantage that they could going into the race.

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As Hamlin awaits the playoffs, he will be a busy person with contract negotiations and partnership deals having to be signed on all fronts. The first race of the playoffs will begin at Darlington Raceway next weekend and we will be seeing Denny Hamlin in Joe Gibbs colors, going head to head with the drivers of his own team, 23XI.

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