Denny Hamlin admits he isn’t enjoying Tyler Reddicks’ Kansas win, says ‘it stings more’
Denny Hamlin missed a win for the second race in a row despite having fast cars.
Follow Us
Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick (Via IMAGO)
Joe Gibbs Racing’s No:11 Toyota Camry driver Denny Hamlin pointed out he is not enjoying his driver Tyler Reddick’s win over him at Kansas on Sunday. The admission came right after the race, as it was the second straight race he missed out on the win despite having the most dominant car on the grid. The P2 wasn’t the result Hamlin, the racer, knew he deserved on Sunday.
Hamlin finished second behind 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick. He owns 23XI with NBA legend Michael Jordan. In 2022 the same event Hamlin had a similar fate, where he finished second to Bubba Wallace in the No:45 car. Hamlin was leading the race when caution was called at Kansas, and the race went over time.
Hamlin restarted the race on the second raw, while Reddick was on the third and was the only driver with four fresh tires in the top 5. Hamlin failed to make the right move when the race started, while Reddick squeezed his way to the top and stayed on the inside lane to take the lead from Erik Jones and Joey Logano, who stopped for just two tires.
Hamlin, after the race, said that despite his team getting on the victory lane, he feels disappointed as, after all, he is first a racer on Sunday and a team owner later. He pointed out that while he enjoyed the past victories of 23XI over him, the fact that he had the fastest car made the Kansas result disappointing for him. His disappointment is justified as he is a driver chasing glory, just like all 36 of his rivals.
“I am not enjoying the 45-winning right in this second, for sure. I mean, on Sundays, certainly, I’m a driver first. You know, when it was our first couple (victories), you’re super-excited for them. This one just stings a little bit more for me personally, just having a car dominant at the end and not winning,” Hamlin said, as reported by NASCAR.com.
In case you missed it: Kyle Larson responds to teammate Chase Elliott banging on his door under caution for pit-lane contact, says he ‘understands’ the frustration
Denny Hamlin’s decision to back up on Kyle Larson cost him
Hamlin pointed out that his decision to lag way back and stop Kyle Larson from catching them up in a three-wide battle cost him as it gave his driver enough time to squeeze through the gap, which he wanted to exploit, to take the lead. He added that caution was a tough call for them.
“I’m trying to back up to him because I can’t afford to let him just lag way back and then split us three-wide. So, I back up, field goes green, and I’m sitting there in no man’s land. So, it’s just a bad scenario, and it allowed the 45 to hit the gap that I wanted to hit in the middle of (Turns) 1 and 2. So you know, battling back to second is OK, but certainly it was a tough caution that certainly wasn’t good for us,” Hamlin said.
At Darlington last Sunday, Hamlin dominated the first two-stage, and the fans were convinced the Toyota driver was going to the victory lane when a botched-up pit stop took him out of the race. He will be hoping to get back up front next week at Bristol.
Discover more:
Stay Updated!
Justin P Joy
(4859 Articles Published)