Denny Hamlin reflects on his emotional 61st Cup Series win at Las Vegas, highlighting the significance of having his family present and overcoming a speeding penalty. He discusses the confidence an early-season victory brings, the strong chemistry with crew chief Chris Gale, and the success of his ownership team with Michael Jordan. Hamlin also previews the upcoming Darlington race, emphasizing the challenges posed by new car setups and track conditions. Throughout, he expresses humility and gratitude for his place among NASCAR legends.
Denny Hamlin reflects on his emotional NASCAR Cup Series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the personal meaning behind the win after a difficult offseason following the loss of his father, and what it means to move past Kevin Harvick on the all-time NASCAR wins list while continuing to build his legacy in the sport. In this episode of Victory Lap on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Kaitlyn Vincie sits down with Hamlin to discuss the significance of the win, how his team executed late in the race, why this moment meant so much to him personally, the early-season success of 23XI Racing, and what he expects heading into the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
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"Had to battle back from a speeding penalty. What was that race like from your vantage point?"
In racing, drivers have to follow speed limits in certain areas like the pit lane. If they go too fast, they get a penalty that can make them lose time or positions.
A speeding penalty in racing is a penalty given to a driver for exceeding the speed limit in a designated area, often the pit lane. It usually results in a time penalty or a stop-and-go penalty, impacting the driver's race position.
"Well, what's going to be challenging this time around is all the unknowns. We have less downforce, more horsepower."
Downforce is like a force that pushes the car down onto the road, helping it stick better when going around corners. This makes the car faster and safer to drive in races.
Downforce is the aerodynamic force that pushes a car down onto the track, increasing tire grip and improving cornering speeds. In racing, managing downforce is crucial for balancing speed and handling.
"Well, what's going to be challenging this time around is all the unknowns. We have less downforce, more horsepower. So the added 60 to 80 horsepower that we have is going to feel like 200."
Horsepower is a way to measure how strong a car's engine is. More horsepower means the car can go faster and speed up quicker.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for engine power, indicating how much work an engine can perform. In racing, more horsepower generally means higher top speeds and better acceleration.
"So it's going to be a very mechanical grip type of racetrack, which means eventually those tires are going to wear out"
Mechanical grip is how well the car's tires hold onto the road because of the tires and suspension, not because of air pushing the car down.
Mechanical grip refers to the traction a car gets from its tires and suspension interacting with the road surface, independent of aerodynamic effects. It is crucial on tracks where downforce is limited.
"which means eventually those tires are going to wear out because all the load is going through it, not necessarily the downforce of the car."
Tire wear means the tires get used up and get less sticky, which can make the car slower or harder to control.
Tire wear is the gradual loss of tread and rubber on tires due to friction with the track surface. Excessive tire wear can reduce grip and performance during a race.
"This is essentially going to be like all the teams going to a new racetrack. I do not think any of the notes that you have from years past will correlate."
When drivers race on a new track they've never been to, it's harder to know the best way to drive or set up the car, so anything can happen.
Racing on a new racetrack means teams have no prior data or experience to rely on, making setup and strategy more uncertain. This can lead to unexpected outcomes and opportunities for standout performances.
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the names on the list of the people that I'm on now.
These are heroes and legends of our sport that I just idolized.
I can't remember another time where I've had everyone there for race wins.
With 61 of them, it just doesn't happen that often to do it at Vegas.
Early in the season, it's all just an out of bounds.
Hey everybody, welcome into the Victory Laugh.
I'm Katelyn Vinci and so great to have our Las Vegas winner,
Denny Hamlin joining us on the show.
Great to see you and what a hard fought win I might add.
Had to battle back from a speeding penalty.
What was that race like from your vantage point?
It was fun from my vantage point because we were so fast
and it made it very enjoyable from my perspective to be able to maneuver
whenever I needed to, pass generally at will.
I mean, those are the things you dream about as a race car driver.
And, you know, while it would have been fun or certainly an easier day
to just lead all the laps, it was quite fun coming from the back.
Now, had we not won, I would have been kicking myself in all week
about not winning a race that we clearly should have.
But I'm glad, it does make it more gratifying for me,
knowing that, you know, we had that drive to the front
that made it very fun as a race car driver.
And obviously it's been well documented,
everything that's gone on in your life over the last couple of months.
So was this win more satisfying in some ways compared to others in your career?
Yeah, you know, my favorite win is the 60th.
That one for many, many reasons was very high on the list
because of all the added bonuses to winning that race.
And obviously, you know, Ty and Kevin and whatnot.
This one's a little different to simply because it's like a repeat of the 60th.
Only I had everyone there.
So, you know, luckily the kids had their their spring break during this time.
So I don't, you know, they I don't know that they ever make it to any West Coast races.
My mom never really travels to any West Coast races.
But she had her sister there.
They were on a doing a trip.
So, you know, it was very I can't remember another time
where I've had everyone there for a race win.
So even with 61 of them, it just doesn't happen that often.
And to do it at Vegas early in the season, it's all just an added bonus.
You've been very candid about your humble beginnings, your path through the sport.
Did you ever think you would be in this position
with 61 wins in the Cup Series and where you're sitting right now
in the all time win list among the sports greats?
Is that surreal for you?
Yeah, no, it's it's it's like it's as likely as it was you thinking
when we were talking at Langley that you'd be in your position, right?
So, right, it's just it's just no, I cannot imagine.
I mean, the names on the list of the people that I'm on now,
these are heroes and legends of our sport that just idolized
for all of my career and even before my career when I was just a race fan.
So very humbled by it, very blessed to be with the team.
I am that's given me the opportunity to go out and showcase it.
So no, it just is just it just.
I hear I have to remind myself daily that I'm in the position I'm in.
You're definitely one of the sports greats.
No question about it.
So you referenced winning early, obviously at Las Vegas.
What does that do for the whole team?
Just already having these results?
You know, I can tell you, I've had many seasons
that I won most of the seasons.
But the ones that I haven't won until like mid summer, maybe even the fall.
It's just, I don't know that the pressure builds slightly when you don't win early.
When you win early, and I talked about it as the owner for 2311,
when Tyler won his three-year-row, that this allows him to just run free
and not have the pressure.
They had the pressure of not winning last year.
And as the year went on, it just continued to build as, uh-oh,
is this going to be a year you don't win?
And certainly at my age, I'm just waiting on the light switch
to go off of, you know, when it, you know,
I'm not going to have the skill set that I had yesterday or the month before.
But it just, it reminds me early that you still got it.
And so it gives me that confidence now that, you know,
nothing has really changed in the offseason.
Things, while they might have slowed down,
they haven't slowed down inside that race car.
One thing that didn't change is your pairing with Chris Gale.
That relationship kind of came together quickly a year ago or so.
But where is the chemistry at in year two?
Just so happy for him.
I mean, I'm as happy for him as I am for myself for these accomplishments.
Just, you know, the guy has been in the Cup Series for a very long time now.
And just, he hadn't had the experience guy that kind of knew what he wanted, right?
He was always kind of bringing someone up that was very young, highly talented,
but just was trying to find their way.
And that is a very, very difficult place to be as a crew chief.
Because you're also trying to be a mentor.
Chris is not trying to mentor me in any kind of way.
He just says, what do you need?
I tell him, he believes it, never questions it.
And he just goes to work and fixes it.
So that's what makes the relationship work so well is that, you know,
he believes in the directions that I send them and we get results from it.
It's a pairing that works well.
Another pairing that seems to work well is you and Michael Jordan.
I haven't had a chance to ask you about the success yet of 2311 so far this season.
Michael, very honest saying you are the brains of the operation,
giving you a lot of credit for the team.
How special has it been for you on the owner's side to do what you've done this year?
Well, I mean, I could easily give that praise right back to him and his team.
And it's not just him.
He has guys like Curtis Polk and Gene Mason behind the scenes that work with me day to day.
You know, we consult and we confer on everything, a lot of the big decisions.
And they're also ones that have had a lot of input on the direction of this team.
So I really feel happy about where that team is at and where it stands.
The partnership between the majority owners and me and Michael is perfect
because he believes in me.
He gives me the autonomy to advise him on the correct decisions.
We all then confer and sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't.
But it's most of the time it's all them saying, if you think this is right,
this is what we're going to do.
And this is the direction that we're going to spend our resources.
Here's what we're going to invest in and it's all work.
And so to see that team really start to put themselves in the upper echelon
in the elite company of these teams that have been around for decades winning all the races,
that's where we aspire to be.
It's been really special to watch that team coming into their own.
The next challenge for everybody is Darlington this weekend.
You've won there a lot five times to be exact.
What are the keys to winning at such a challenging place?
Well, what's going to be challenging this time around is all the unknowns.
We have less downforce, more horsepower.
So the added 60 to 80 horsepower that we have is going to feel like 200.
And I know everyone's been pounding the drum.
Give me a thousand horsepower, give me 900, whatever it is.
Oh, we're going to have all that we want this weekend.
So the unknowns and the challenges are going to be,
how are we going to grip the racetrack?
Because we got an outer body of the car that doesn't produce much downforce.
So it's going to be a very mechanical grip type of racetrack,
which means eventually those tires are going to wear out
because all the load is going through it, not necessarily the downforce of the car.
So the challenge is going to be is all the unknowns.
This is essentially going to be like all the teams going to a new racetrack.
I do not think any of the notes that you have from years past will correlate.
And so I think somebody will hit it.
And I think that they're going to absolutely crush the field.
I just hope that it's us.
Well, it's going to make it very interesting for all of us watching.
Denny, congratulations on 61 wins in the Cup Series.
A historical weekend for you.
Great to see you and good luck in Darlington.
All right. Appreciate it. Thank you.
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