THE MODERATOR: Denny, with the 61st NASCAR Cup Series victory, you hold sole possession of 10th place on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series win list. Denny is also the fifth driver to win a Cup race in 20 different seasons, joining Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. Quite the accomplishment.<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: That is awesome.<\/p>\n
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations.<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: My name is not like others (smiling).<\/p>\n
THE MODERATOR: We\u2019ll open it up for questions.<\/p>\n
Q. I think about everything you have been through the last few months. For someone in your position, could have been so easy to step aside, this is a lot. What kept you going?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Well, I mean, ultimately I\u2019m still a competitor, right? Everyone\u2019s got to go through that process, the grieving process. There were a lot of different things through the off-season that were really, really tough.<\/p>\n
Yeah, I mean, I showed up at Bowman Gray. I ran the race. Still just up until a couple weeks ago not fully locked in to what I need to do, got to do. That\u2019s just natural. I mean, everyone has to go through stuff.<\/p>\n
I think for me ultimately, I said it before, promise to Joe Gibbs, that family, that I\u2019d fulfill my obligations to them. Then the thrill of going out there and getting more wins. That to me is what drives me. It makes me work as hard as I do at this.<\/p>\n
Everyone goes through tragedies and stuff. It doesn\u2019t change kind of who I am, and that\u2019s a competitor that loves to go out there. This is my life\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
Q. I know in a process like that, there\u2019s certain days or moments that really touch your soul. How much does today mean to you?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Yeah, it\u2019s very gratifying because it\u2019s always the first race of every season that you can win is gratifying. I don\u2019t know what goes on in those two months. I\u2019m no fool. I know my reaction\u2019s deteriorating. There\u2019s all kind of things that are deteriorating. Father Time is undefeated. Three months is a long time where it\u2019s like, Okay, am I still at the level that I was last year, especially to end last year.<\/p>\n
Today confirmed that nothing was changed, which is really good. It\u2019s a good sign. We\u2019re still able to do it at a really, really high level. So it\u2019s just gratifying to me that I\u2019m still at this age getting it done.<\/p>\n
Q. What has the start of this season meant to you? Effectively by you winning this, you won four out of the first five.<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Four out of five I got to talk to y\u2019all (smiling).<\/p>\n
Q. How do you process the first month of this season, considering the challenges?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: It\u2019s been really good. Obviously, things have gone really well for me personally and the team. To win early in the season is always a really good thing. To have my cars going out there and winning three straight to start the season, I mean, those are all big momentum builders.<\/p>\n
It certainly helps me. If anything, Tyler\u2019s wins fueled me to shake the tree and, Okay, let\u2019s get ours now.<\/p>\n
Q. Earlier in one of the interviews you said you didn\u2019t go into the race expecting to win.<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: I did. I expected to win.<\/p>\n
Q. You did expect to win?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Yes.<\/p>\n
Q. Overcoming the pit road penalty, is that what you were talking about?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Yeah. I mean, yeah, I can\u2019t think. I don\u2019t know when the last one was. Typically in Next Gen when you speed on pit road, if it\u2019s somewhere near the middle of the race, you\u2019re usually not seen again.<\/p>\n
But I just knew within about 15 laps after that first restart when I was cutting through everyone, I was like, Well, there\u2019s still time. I can\u2019t waste any time getting around guys. I can\u2019t get stuck behind anyone. So we just kept marching.<\/p>\n
When we got to fifth by the end of the second stage, I\u2019m like, Okay, I\u2019m back in it. I\u2019m close enough to the front that surely those guys up front looking at the scoring pylon and have had to think, Holy shit, he\u2019s back already.<\/p>\n
We got through the field quick. So we knew we were going to be strong. Guys work on their cars. Everyone makes their stuff better. Chase came on at the end similar to what he did in \u201921.<\/p>\n
But today was just our day. Speeding penalty\u2026 The car was just too fast for a speeding penalty to stop us.<\/p>\n
Q. You had your own stuff to go through all off-season. Chris said he had a really hard three days after Phoenix, but started to work through it. I imagine by the time you got back to him, he was in a much better place.<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Uh-huh.<\/p>\n
Q. Did you ever have to talk to him or pick him up at all?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: You know, I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t want it to reflect badly on me. He left me alone. I didn\u2019t have much interaction with Gayle until a couple weeks before the season. He kind of let me be.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know. I\u2019ve somewhat always had that kind of relationship with my crew chiefs. It\u2019s been more professional than personal. It doesn\u2019t reflect, like, how I think of him as a crew chief or a person. It\u2019s just I\u2019ve always kind of kept my work personnel and friendship personnel separate.<\/p>\n
I know that he felt horrible. Not that it was his fault. Maybe I could have done something. I mean, that was just a moment that certainly he wishes he could have back and I wish I could have back.<\/p>\n
But yeah, we both went through it for some time. By the time I got back to him, he was certainly in a better spot. And we never talked about it.<\/p>\n
Q. You never have?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: No.<\/p>\n
Q. Not once?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: No, not once.<\/p>\n
Q. (No microphone.)<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Nope.<\/p>\n
Q. Long after the driving days are over, what are you going to remember most about this victory?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Hmmm\u2026 It\u2019s kind of split. Half of it is the drive through the field. The other half is, like, the family being able to be here when they weren\u2019t here for 60. We were driving on the track earlier today. It was like, Yeah, I don\u2019t remember this, I don\u2019t remember that. It\u2019s been years since y\u2019all have been at the racetrack.<\/p>\n
In Vegas the kids can only do so much and whatnot. It was cool for them to get to experience my latest win. We had some friends and other family here this weekend, as well.<\/p>\n
Driving them around in the race car on the frontstretch was awesome. I probably will remember the drive through the field.<\/p>\n
Q. Chris was in here mentioning how the finish at Phoenix ate him up for three days last week. Did you have to play any conversations with him at all leading up to today?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: No. I mean, we didn\u2019t talk about it. Phoenix, I mean, if we did, it was like 15 seconds. I think he might have, like\u2026 I said, I don\u2019t care. It\u2019s fine. I don\u2019t need any reasoning. I\u2019m with you. Same thing when Gabehart stuck a 10-inch piece of tape on the front grille and blew the engine when I\u2019m charging to the front. It\u2019s fine, you\u2019re going for it. It didn\u2019t work out, right?<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t need any explanation. We\u2019re going to win and lose together. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Chris Gayle for these seven wins over the course of these 40 races or so. He\u2019s just a great guy. So underrated in what he does. I\u2019m glad he\u2019s getting the wins now that he deserves.<\/p>\n
Q. You mentioned coming into the day you thought you had a good chance of winning. You have a really good, solid day in addition to getting the win. What does it mean to have a day like that this early in the season? How can you build off of that?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Yeah, I mean, I\u2019ve had seasons where I went winless until the end of the season or midpoint. I can tell you it\u2019s so much better when you win early. It is. Especially with the new points system, I think every driver is now looking at the points to see where you\u2019re at in the regular season. I think NASCAR just did an amazing job overhauling that to make us understand and really feel like this is a big reward for us to go out here and win.<\/p>\n
When you have the tough days, also it\u2019s pretty crushing. When you leave Daytona 500 finishing 31st and I\u2019m looking back and I\u2019m like, oh, my gosh, I\u2019m already a race behind. It certainly puts the panic back in you.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s great to win early. It gives us some momentum. But realistically, I look from last week to the next six weeks, Okay, we got a bazillion wins at all these racetracks. In this group of races I expect to win multiple. If we don\u2019t, that\u2019s where I get concerned.<\/p>\n
If we come here, lay an egg, don\u2019t finish well, I\u2019m concerned because we\u2019re all going to have these weeks where we\u2019re going to have mechanical failures, wrecks, things like that. If you want to win the regular season or be part of the championship picture when they reset it for the Chase, all these 26 weeks count.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m certainly feeling better about the start of my season now.<\/p>\n
Q. One more thing on Chris. This is really the first time that we\u2019ve heard his side of how he felt after last year. You said you two have not talked about Phoenix. Obviously you had so much other stuff going on that that\u2019s what kept you away. How does his call from instead of two tires, going for four, in that situation, how do you not hold that against him and ruin that relationship?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Well, it\u2019s because when he called it and I looked at the code, I said, Okay, sounds good.<\/p>\n
I believed in it, too. So I would have been just as guilty. You know what I mean? It wasn\u2019t like I was going, Oh, shit, are you sure?<\/p>\n
If I would have thought that it was the absolute wrong call, I would have questioned it. I would have said, Are you sure? I would have said, I think track position means the most.<\/p>\n
I mean, damn, we dominated the race. Every restart we were blowing by everybody. I can\u2019t speak to what the war room thought or he thought or whatever. I certainly was surprised to see fricking nine guys stay out or take two and put themselves right in the middle of championship battle. I couldn\u2019t believe all those cars stayed out there. But they did.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only the wrong call because of one or two extra cars stay out. If one or two don\u2019t, I\u2019m right where I need to be. If Larson is not right behind a teammate, does he get through as easy? We\u2019ll never know. Those are the ifs and buts. You just can\u2019t live in that world. That\u2019s why I didn\u2019t want to talk about it because you can\u2019t change it.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s not one person on that Tuesday in that awards ceremony that didn\u2019t think that I was good enough to be a champion on that day. I just didn\u2019t take home the trophy.<\/p>\n
Q. Winning this race today, you came over the radio and said something to the effect of, Old dog can still hunt. What kind of a race like today is a feather in your cap of the way it was done, winning at your age?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: I mean, it\u2019s gratifying because I saw, like, the legendary Mount Rushmore guys, I\u2019ve raced against them. I think probably at least two on the Mount Rushmore I got to race against and know how good they are.<\/p>\n
I also saw at the end of their career when they got my age that the performance changed, for whatever reason. I think Kevin Harvick is kind of the one that sticks out that he was still doing it at this level at this age. I don\u2019t know when he stopped winning. Maybe 46-ish, 47-ish. I\u2019m not really sure. That was, like, motivation to me that, Okay, it\u2019s possible. Not everyone ages the same. Eyesight is the same, reaction is the same at the same age. But that gave me hope that, like, I think that I can still do.<\/p>\n
I mean, I can tell you, there are Mondays and Tuesdays where I\u2019m, like, I\u2019m over it. I just don\u2019t\u2026 I don\u2019t know whether I just want to keep doing this grind over and over.<\/p>\n
It happens after you have the failures at like Phoenix where it\u2019s like I spend all that time working, all that time studying, I ace the test and failed. That\u2019s where it was, like, discouraging. Do I really want to do this again?<\/p>\n
So days like today\u2026 Last night I was grinding still. I was working hours and hours and hours after this practice was over to try to figure out how we could make our car better, communicating with the team on that.<\/p>\n
It feels good when you get the cookie at the end.<\/p>\n
Q. You had a really cool moment after the race where you took the kids in the car. The importance of being able to have those moments at this time in your career? Also the fact they got to witness you go into number 10 on the all-time wins list, comprehend their dad is that good.<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: It\u2019s awesome. There was only one other time that I think Taylor got to ride in the car, then NASCAR took the trophy from me about five hours later (smiling). Hopefully we make this one official and move on.<\/p>\n
But yeah, I think it was Molly\u2019s first time in the car. They stepped in there and were like, Wow, it\u2019s hot in here. I\u2019m like, Welcome to my world. It\u2019s a good reality check that it\u2019s not all nice and cozy inside that car.<\/p>\n
Like I talked about earlier, they weren\u2019t here for 60. You get FaceTime for 10 seconds. I got to go do more pictures, whatever, media. It\u2019s cool when they get to see it and feel it. It\u2019s something that they\u2019ll remember for a long time.<\/p>\n
Q. (No microphone.)<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Hourglass is running out (smiling).<\/p>\n
Q. With your win today, you\u2019ve jumped to fourth in the standing. Have you as a team or you individually looked at the season and kind of planned out an average points day that you need to accrue throughout the year?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: No, not really. I just look at the schedule and say I expect to win at these tracks. I hope to run good at these tracks. I need to not wreck at these. That\u2019s how I look at it.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s not really one point thing. I do set goals before the race. Those goals change with every caution. I shift the goalpost when I go to the back at the end of stage one, that sucks, I just screwed this up. Let\u2019s figure out a way to get to the top five. Might take strategy or something. Again, I realized pretty early after that restart that as fast as we were, we still had a chance.<\/p>\n
But yeah, this is hugely gratifying. It\u2019s something, I don\u2019t know, it just makes me feel good about what I do.<\/p>\n
Q. You\u2019ve now won as many times, almost as many times, in your last seven-plus years as you did in the first 13 years. In the first 13 years you had 31 of your wins. Now you\u2019ve won 30 times since the start of 2019. Why have you won so much more later in your career?<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Hmm\u2026 Well, I think data and analytics probably played a role in that. I\u2019m a very analytical person. I\u2019m a very structured person. What data and analytics allowed me to do was identify my weaknesses, then allowed me to figure out how I\u2019m going to shore up those weaknesses.<\/p>\n
Before that, you\u2019re kind of just seat of your pants. If you want to get better, you have to go over to Matt Kenseth\u2019s garage or Tony Stewart\u2019s garage, How are you driving turn three?<\/p>\n
When we started sharing data and stuff like that, while it was negative because my information got out, it also was a positive at some racetracks where I wasn\u2019t very good. It was a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n
I think that I really embraced, Okay, here\u2019s the tools I got to identify my weaknesses, now what am I going to do? How can I fix them and what do I need to work on that can give me the best results?<\/p>\n
That I think was kind of the turning point in 2019.<\/p>\n
THE MODERATOR: Denny, congratulations and thank you for your time.<\/p>\n
DENNY HAMLIN: Thank you.<\/p>\n
NASCAR PR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"THE MODERATOR: Denny, with the 61st NASCAR Cup Series victory, you hold sole possession of 10th place on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539511,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,925,13157,4385,25423,71902,634,36714,25834,721,1704,82],"class_list":["post-539769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-daytona","tag-group","tag-jeff-gordon","tag-kevin-harvick","tag-matt-kenseth","tag-nascar","tag-race-car","tag-richard-petty","tag-series","tag-speed","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}