Toyota Stops Denny Hamlin From Betraying Their Alliance, After Years of Surviving on Ford & Chevy’s “Mercy”

‘If it is not your day, get out of the way.’ These were the words that echoed over Denny Hamlin’s radio after the shocking Martinsville race. This was NASCAR’s warning after the sport saw a clear implementation of manufacturer alliance. While the message was clear, it raised more questions than answers. Who was it meant for? And more importantly, was this the strongest sign yet that NASCAR was ready to crack down on the manufacturer-driven strategies that had long shaped the sport? The answer is yes. Ahead of the 2025 season, NASCAR announced rule changes for race manipulation with stricter policies. Notably, for years, teams have relied on alliances with their manufacturers, i.e. Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota, to gain a competitive edge at the superspeedways.

The sanctioning body made some clever rule changes for the upcoming season which include penalties to manufacturers. Despite these rule changes, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin believes that the upcoming Daytona 500 will strengthen Toyota’s alliance. He also believes that in the upcoming season, his manufacturer alliance will dictate the race strategy.

Denny Hamlin reveals new Toyota strategy

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin will enter his 20th Cup series season with the team in the 2025 season. With more than 50 race wins, he is one of the most celebrated drivers on the grid. Despite such performances, the Florida native is yet to win the elusive title. However, ahead of the upcoming season, Hamlin revealed a new strategy that might help him. He revealed that Toyota’s extended fleet will surely dictate the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Ahead of the Cook out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, Hamlin told media, “Yeah, it should. It certainly should… The power of numbers allows us to at least create our own strategy. We were always at the mercy of the other manufacturers and trying to figure out—whether it was Ford or Chevy—that was going to pit when we wanted them to pit and we had to react to that.”

Hamlin’s comments reflect that the dynamic is set to change. Toyota has expanded its fleet for the 2025 season, bringing three additional cars to the field. For the first time in years, Hamlin, and his fellow Toyota drivers have the numbers to dictate their strategy rather than follow the lead of their rivals. However, such an alliance comes with its challenges. At Talladega last year, despite a strong collaborative effort, internal competition led to a crash among Toyota drivers.

Speaking about his individual strategy, Hamlin acknowledged that he is a selfish guy. “When it comes down to the end of the race, it is a matter of who is left. I used to love being super selfish in those types of races because I would just use anyone—I didn’t care if they were a teammate or not – to try to get a win, but so much with the manufacturer alliances now, it is really, really difficult to break through that,” he added.

However, with NASCAR’s new rules against race manipulation, Hamlin and co. Must be cautious. Any coordinated strategy that appears to influence the race outcome unfairly could lead to penalties. NASCAR now has an explicit penalty structure with manufacturers subject to losing manufacturer points or even wind tunnel hours. With this, Hamlin and his team need to ensure that their collaborative efforts with other Toyotas don’t cross the line into prohibited race manipulation.

Rival echoes Hamlin’s ‘anti-NASCAR’ sentiments

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While Denny Hamlin prepares for the upcoming season, he has voiced against NASCAR’s new rule. Hamlin has criticized the sanctioning body over the newly introduced Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) rule, which guarantees star drivers (not from NASCAR) a starting spot in major races. Trackhouse Racing’s Helio Castroneves will be the first beneficiary of the rule. While the policy aims to attract big names, Hamlin finds it unfair.

“It just feels like you’re really trying to get any kind of headline you can to be relevant. It reaps of desperation. I don’t know how else to say it. I don’t love it. To me, it’s a short-term gain, long-term loss… Be the big boys (NASCAR) and force people to come in here and get their credentials and do it the natural way,” Hamlin told the media.

Notably, Hamlin is not the only driver who expressed frustration over the rule. Hamlin’s on-track rival Chase Elliott echoed his sentiments. He went a step ahead and asked to have some integrity. “You’d hate to have a Helio Castroneves, a Max Verstappen, a Lewis Hamilton, or someone come in to run a race and then miss the show due to something silly… where you wouldn’t want to risk that because that’s obviously going to be a big deal for you. But I also think that with prestigious races, there should be some sort of integrity in making the show… it’s a hard event to make.”

Notably, the introduction of the OEP rule has led to debates within the NASCAR community. For instance, while Helio Castroneves is assured a spot in the Daytona 500, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson must qualify to participate. This disparity has caused friction among drivers and teams. Do you think NASCAR is being unfair to the legends of sports?