Denny Hamlin Brands Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard 400 Win Silencing Haters as “Very Gratifying”

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on the how big his 23XI Racing drivers Bubba Wallace’s win is at Indy.

Denny Hamlin Brands Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard 400 Win Silencing Haters as “Very Gratifying”

Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin (Via @dennyhamlin/X)

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23XI Racing secured their maiden win of the 2025 Cup season amidst the noise over charter lawsuit, thanks to Bubba Wallace, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He secured a playoff spot, ending his 100-race winless streak, silencing his haters. For his boss Denny Hamlin, experiencing these moments with the No:23 team is really rewarding.

In the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin shared the significance of the Brickyard 400 win and how impressive the win is. He pointed out that Indy historically has been the track that always rewarded the best, and brough the best out of them. Though the Next-Gen car has changed some aspects of it, the overall dynamic of the weekend is still the same.

It’s not your average race. This race has always brought the best drivers, teams, engine departments — it’s always brought the best out of everyone. It’s a little bit different nowadays because of the Next Gen car and they’re all similar then what they used to be, so it’s not a total showcase of that.

Denny Hamlin said via Actions Detrimental.

The veteran then highlighted how tough the battle was for Bubba Wallace on the way to the victory. He had to face the tough challenge in the restart from the best racer in the current grid in Kyle Larson. Earlier he had to fend off the likes of William Byron, his boss Hamlin and teammate Tyler Reddick, all of whom are regular front runners of the 2025 season.

But look at all the guys that were battling up front: the 5 [Kyle Larson], the 24 [William Byron], the 11 [Hamlin], the 45 [Tyler Reddick]. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, it’s the same four to five every single week.

Denny Hamlin added.

Despite the challenges such as passing restriction due to aero, the race still brings out the best out of the drivers and demands perfect execution from the winner. That exactly what the No:23 team and Bubba Wallace did on the track, executed the race to perfection on the track and the pit-wall, producing the best performance of his Cup career.

Regardless of how hard it is to pass, it still is one that brings the best out. It makes you feel good that the 23 team was able to bring a car fast enough for Bubba to drive it as well as he did and execute all the restarts, all those things — just a very gratifying thing.

Denny Hamlin asserted.

Denny Hamlin hints at retirement year with Brickyard comment

In the same podcast, Denny Hamlin might have conformed when will he retire from the sport. He recently signed a multi-year contract extension with JGR, but despite being on top of his game is looking for ways to end his career as one of the best of the sport.

Bubba Wallace (via AP), Denny Hamlin (via Getty)
Bubba Wallace (via AP), Denny Hamlin (via Getty)

One race win that is missing from Hamlin’s resume is the Brickyard 400, though he now has won it as an owner, he really wants the trophy for himself. Talking about it in the podcast, he admitted that during the qualifying he was thinking he will have only two more shot at winning the iconic race.

I’m sitting back there after qualifying in the car thinking, well, I’ve only got two more chances (to win the Brickyard 400). I knew that I’d blown this chance for this weekend because of all the obstacles to try to win from the back.

Denny Hamlin said.

The comments seem to hint that he might retire from the sport in 2027, or the very next season. It would be interesting to see if the veteran didn’t mean what he said, or Denny Hamlin is close to retirement that he has ever been at the moment.

Also Read: Denny Hamlin Exposes “the Key” to Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard 400 Win