Proud Joe Gibbs Makes Bold Declaration as Denny Hamlin Does Justice to Late Son’s Name

The Dover outing has turned out to be a memorable one, once again, for Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Toyota. Last day at the Xfinity race, Martin Truex Jr.‘s brother Ryan Truex clinched a victory driving under the JGR banner. Today, #11 Denny Hamlin marked his 54th Cup Series win for. Neither of the wins were easily achieved though. Ryan Truex was chased by JRM’s Carson Kvapil for the lead. On the other hand, Hamlin had Cup Series table topper Kyle Larson closing in on him, for a considerable amount of time in the later laps.

But eventually, Hamlin had the last laugh. Team owner Joe Gibbs appreciated both the wins in the post-race interview. Gibbs also gets emotional remembering how his late son played a major factor in this success of Hamlin.

Joe Gibbs explained how Denny Hamlin took control of the racetracks, where he initially found challenging

Sirius XM NASCAR Radio caught Joe Gibbs post the race at Dover. Gibbs was in a cheerful mood, thanks to his team’s consistent performance throughout the season. He explained that while heartaches are part of the racing experiences, weekends like this one made all the efforts worthwhile.

Gibbs said, “Sometimes there’s heartache that goes with it. But weekends like this make it all worthwhile. Yesterday, so happy for Ryan. Today, Denny gets in there. We had a good day. You know, everybody but Christopher. So just appreciate so much like you’re with us. Mavis is our new sponsor. They have been in the winner’s circle now over and over again with Denny. It’s a huge deal for us.”

With the 54 Cup Series victories, Hamlin now equals Lee Petty‘s number of wins. The interviewer went on asking Joe Gibbs if they ever predicted that Hamlin would achieve this feat when they brought him to their team. He stated how his fallen son J.D. Gibbs scouted him and they provided him with all they could.

Gibbs replied, “I did not, and I don’t think he would have either. J.D. found him, and we started a process and everything we put him in. He looked great. And I just, I gotta tell you where Denny is right now in his life, he’s doing some great things. He’s coming back from some racetracks that gave him trouble, like road racing. And now he’s at the front of the field. And I got to tell you, at this point in his career, I think he’s doing some things that are really special.” 

Denny Hamlin indeed does justice to Joe Gibbs’ son. And the testament to that has been his dominant form in the current season till now.

Hamlin and his dominance with the JGR

Thanks to the overall management of the team, JGR is at a commanding position. Both in the Cup and Xfinity Series. Driving behind the wheels of the team, Denny Hamlin has been consistent throughout. Despite not winning a championship, firing up at the right place, and at the right time is what sets him apart. With three victories, Hamlin is coupled with HMS’ William Byron for the most number of wins this season. He has also led a staggering 535 laps till now. Looking at his performance, it is evident that Hamlin is eyeing for his maiden championship win this season.

Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing has a great supply line of drivers already present. When Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. steps aside, the young prodigies Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell are going to take JGR’s name forward. But for that, they need to scale their performances up by a considerable amount. They have already shown glimpses of their talents. What’s important is to get them polished and turn them into world-class racers.

The JGR squad marches to the next outing at Kansas with an elevated mood. Will the Toyota supremacy reign, with JGR’s name on top of the heap once more? What are your thoughts and predictions regarding this?