“It’s Talladega” – Denny Hamlin Reflects on the Importance of this Win for Bubba Wallace

Earlier, Bubba Wallace seized his maiden Cup Series victory at the Talladega Superspeedway. Wallace finished ahead of Team Penske duo, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, respectively. In the process, he became the second African-American driver to win a NASCAR Cup race since the late Wendell Scott. Now, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin spoke about what the win means for Wallace.

He said, “There are so many dots that are crossing here and makes this win more special. I mean, it’s Talladega, its his home state. Everything that happened at Talladega last year, things that Bubba didn’t ask to happen, he had to go through it. A lot of the pushback and things that happened afterwards in the aftermath.”

In the end, Hamlin acknowledged that he is proud of how everything just fell into place. In addition to that, this win from Wallace is a fantastic reward for everyone’s efforts.

How did the race pan out for Denny Hamlin?

While Wallace enjoyed his first visit to Victory Lane, Hamlin could only muster 7th fastest in a rain-interrupted race. Speaking of which, the end of the race was a bit anti-climatic because inclement weather forced the race to be stopped. With Kyle Larson well down the order in 37th, this was Denny Hamlin’s best chance to take advantage.

Needless to say, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Admittedly, he was the third fastest of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, with Kyle Busch in 4th and Christopher Bell in 5th. Meanwhile, Martin Truex Jr could only muster 12th, which could dent his Playoff hopes.

On the subject of the Playoffs, with Bubba Wallace winning at Talladega, it adds more pressure on the Top 12. This is because there is just one race left in the Round of 12, and 7 spots are up for grabs.

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin to Line Up on Pole Position for Talladega Superspeedway Race