A big part of success in the Daytona 500 in the modern era of NASCAR is working with your team or working with the same manufacturer as yours. It’s a tried and tested and proven recipe that has always paid off. But not for everyone, not at least in the eyes of Denny Hamlin.
In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin pointed toward the lack of alliances when it comes to Toyota versus Chevrolet and Ford.
“As Toyotas, we don’t have alliance with anyone. We’re all independent, but we always fight numbers. We’re always at a disadvantage at numbers,” Hamlin described. “With there only being 7 of us, it is so hard to get us in one place at one time because there is so few of us.”
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“But we finally got it towards the end of the race where, it was at the end of second stage, it was me, Truex, Ty, and a few other Toyotas and we’re all in the top line.”
Denny Hamlin was hit with a realization that applied to Kyle Busch as well
So after he and his two JGR teammates formed a line on the top, Hamlin confessed the thing he should’ve done which could’ve helped their cause. In fact, Hamlin was also of the opinion that had his ex-teammate Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon done the same thing, things could’ve been different for them at the end.
“I said it after the caution came out, I’m like, ‘I’m such an idiot. I should’ve tried to make an attempt to pass Truex to at least block the inside which Fords then freight-trained us at the end of second stage because they had 6 Fords all lined up,” he described.
“If you block the track, they can’t go anywhere. So I think we flogged up there as well, not blocking the track, which is also, in my opinion, if I fast forward, where RCR f**k*d up.”
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Hamlin argues Busch and RCR put all their “eggs in one basket”
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The 23XI Racing co-owner added that Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon and RCR shouldn’t have done what they did at the last lap restart. This, “in hindsight”, was always a half miss-half hit chance, according to Hamlin.
“It didn’t work out for them, it could’ve easily just worked out for them, but it didn’t,” he claimed.
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Hamlin further described that RCR should’ve done blocked the track, something he himself pointed out earlier in the race on his radio.
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“Otherwise, you put all your eggs in one basket, which they did on that green-white-checkered,” he added.