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L: Kyle Busch. R: Denny Hamlin. | Image Credits: Imago.
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L: Kyle Busch. R: Denny Hamlin. | Image Credits: Imago.
Looks like 2023 has been quite frustrating for Denny Hamlin up until now. Having launched his own podcast earlier this year, Hamlin would have never imagined that one of his episodes might cost him a $50,000 fine from NASCAR. Moreover, even after getting his hands on a piece of great equipment, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver could not register a win.
Now, fans want to know how Hamlin feels to be in the 9th position while his younger teammate Christopher Bell is ruling the points chart. In a recent episode of Actions Detrimental, a fan asked Denny Hamlin if it is frustrating for him to see his teammate Christopher Bell have success while he is struggling to register a win.
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Denny Hamlin admits ‘he has been in that position’
While replying to the fan’s question, Denny Hamlin said, “No, because I think that we’ve ran as good as Christopher Bell. We just haven’t finished as good as Christopher Bell.”
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 04: Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Clips Haircuts Toyota watches Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Interstate Batteries Toyota speak during a media press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum on February 04, 2023, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 04 NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Icon007230204950
However, he did admit that this doesn’t mean he has never been in that position. Thinking about the time when he was teammates with Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, Hamlin said, “But I have been in that position, absolutely where you know, Kyle Busch when he first came in, Matt Kenseth probably in 2013…I had plenty of years where guys in the same equipment as me are outperforming me week in week out and absolutely it is frustrating.”
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Hamlin reveals what forced him to doubt his capabilities
While discussing how difficult it is to not perform well when the rest of your team is finishing races in the ‘teens,’ Hamlin said, “It’s one thing when your whole organization is running in the teens and you can draw a kind of conclusion that’s what our cars are capable of. But when you got one that is out front or capable of winning and you got the rest of them in the teens, then yeah, it becomes like ‘What am I doing wrong?’ for sure.”
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Kyle Busch (L), Denny Hamlin (R) | Credits: Imago
Moreover, he added, “I mean I definitely doubted myself in 2018 when it seems like I could qualify well but as soon as they dropped the green, I couldn’t get to the 12th place fast enough. And things changed in 2019. We’ve been as fast, if not faster than anybody from that point on.”
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WATCH THIS STORY: “No Clue How That Is a Penalty” – Kyle Busch Exposes NASCAR’s “Contradictory” Side After Being Left in Disbelief of Denny Hamlin’s Controversial Verdict
Furthermore, Hamlin revealed that after 2019, he registered a huge number of wins. However, he admitted that maybe Kyle Larson might be the only person who has won more than him in the last four-year stretch.
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