Published 03/15/2023, 1:41 PM CDT
Hendrick Motorsports are off to a flying start so far this season. It was a massive boost to see William Byron register two consecutive wins. In addition to that, both Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson have finished in the top five twice already in the 2023 campaign. Of course, losing Chase Elliott with his snowboarding injury is an enormous blow, but the team has handled it well so far. In fact, it has left Denny Hamlin insecure with Joe Gibbs Racing’s incredible record looking threatened.
Hamlin has been with JGR for almost two decades now and has seen some great times with the NASCAR Cup Series giants. The rivalry between JGR and HMS has always been intense. It would really hurt them badly if HMS go on to break one of their incredible records. It must be concerning not only for Hamlin but also for the JGR faithful.
Denny Hamlin was unnerved as HMS look good to break JGR’s phenomenal record
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Many expected Hendrick Motorsports to stutter when Chase Elliott’s injury was announced. Instead, it has only spurred their other drivers to step up. They have provided quite the performance so far and it has surely intimidated Denny Hamlin. He recently discussed it on his podcast “Actions Detrimental”.
Speaking on HMS’ recent dominance in the competition, the 42-year-old said, “JGR has the most wins in a single season. 2019 with 19, Hendrick had 17 last year and then they had 18 in 2017, so the record is Toyota, it’s JGR, it’s gonna get challenged, it’s gonna get challenged, even with Chase out, it’s gonna get challenged”
2019 was truly a memorable year for JGR as Kyle Busch went on to win the championship. He registered five wins to his name that season. Hamlin himself contributed with six wins, Erik Jones with a single win, and Martin Truex Jr. with seven wins. Having said that, all HMS drivers look in dominant form this season, which is a big concern for their competitors.
It is only natural for Hamlin to feel concerned. Interestingly, this is the second time that he has pointed out how HMS are looking dangerous.
Hamlin feels Hendrick Motorsports are pretty far ahead of its competitors this season
The three-time Daytona 500 winner has been in the sport for a long time. His experience helps him analyze things better, and that is the reason why he wasn’t shy in giving a blunt reality of how Hendrick Motorsports are looking strong this campaign.
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Speaking in one of the recent episodes of his podcast after the Las Vegas race, “This car has a lot of drag but it’s not through the spoiler so you don’t get the giant run down the straightaway unless you’re one of the Hendrick cars…oh my goodness gracious! I had a tough time trying to hold those guys off when I got the lead.”
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Surely, these are concerning signs for JGR. Hamlin and co. will have to step up, especially considering the record at stake. Will HMS continue its impressive run at Atlanta? We’ll soon find out.