Kevin Harvick Credits Martin Truex Jr’s Lost Jewel’s Contribution to Denny Hamlin’s Success

Denny Hamlin is basking in the warm glow of victories this season. Having clinched three wins, the JGR driver matches HMS driver William Byron’s tally. A lot of teamwork went into fetching these precious trophies. Hamlin’s pit crew has proved to be his strongest weapon this year: a weapon he inherited from his teammate, Martin Truex Jr.

This is ironic as Hamlin used the same weapon to slay Truex’s winning chances in Richmond. After the 2017 Cup champion led for 228 out of 400 laps, Denny Hamlin’s super-fast pit stop bested him. This golden skill helped with the Dover win as well, as Kevin Harvick pointed out.

Harvick marvels at Denny Hamlin’s skilled pit team

The Dover race produced several lead changes, and Denny Hamlin appeared in the front row in the latter half. After Kyle Larson won Stage 2, Hamlin’s hard-charging approach paid off. Echoing Richmond, the No. 11 team executed a lightning-fast pit stop on the late caution. As a result, Hamlin held off Kyle Larson by 0.256 seconds to snag a win.

Kevin Harvick broached this topic on a recent episode of ‘Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour’. He narrated the sequence of events. “Kyle Larson beats him off pit road. And what did he do? He passed him…Denny Hamlin passed Kyle Larson, it’s an amazing thing. He did pass Kyle Larson for the lead. Kyle Larson was in front, Denny Hamlin beat him on a restart and passed him. Amazing.”

When Caitlyn Vince called Denny Hamlin’s performance masterful, Harvick pointed out his secret power. “Well, sounds like he did his job, right? That’s what he’s paid to do. But when you go and you look at the race, look at the scenario, the pit crew gave him the lead. They did their job on pit road, they put him in a position to win.”

And as it turns out, Denny Hamlin’s spectacular pit crew once served Martin Truex Jr. Initially, their skills needed improvement as they made a lot of mistakes. For example, in a 2019 Miami race, the No. 19 crew mixed up the right front and left front tires and bolted them that way. This mistake cost Truex an entire lap, although he finished second in the race. 

However, the same pit crew has leveled up over the years. They paid attention to a specific technical detail in Richmond that ultimately pushed Hamlin to Victory Lane.

Suspension design was the key to the 11 team’s success

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After changing to single-lug wheels, pit stops have sped up incredibly in NASCAR. Added to that is the different suspension setup that each track demands from drivers. This means tires come off and go on the car differently. In Richmond, a common occurrence is a left rear corner without a lot of droop. Hence tire changers and carriers have to be very precise on the tire exchange.

So Denny Hamlin’s pit crew flawlessly executed this part. The left rear tire appears to be the differing factor on that final pit stop that eventually saw Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. swap positions on the pit lane. The No. 11 pit team led in speed, changing four tires in 8.99 seconds. The No. 19 team faltered over a second behind with a time of 10.29 seconds for their four-tire change.

So even though Truex’s former pit team could not excel earlier, they were destined for great things under Denny Hamlin.