For Martin Truex Jr, the 30th time was the charm. Leading approximately 916 laps ahead of Monday’s race, Truex Jr finally won a Cup Series race in New Hampshire. And he expressed his joy by heartily chomping on the clamp of a lobster. However, the race and the win did not come without some unwanted adversities. Namely, the wrecks that are a menace to NASCAR drivers as well as for fans to watch. Naturally, Christopher Bell’s act of wrecking when teammate Truex was leading was not lauded. They were only a few laps from finishing. 

But Truex wasn’t quiet about this incident that had heavily jeopardized his chances of winning the race. He talked about keeping a company policy that says not to crash when a team member is leading a race. And his claim was absolutely supported by other drivers, namely Denny Hamlin. In the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, Hamlin talks about what Christopher Bell shouldn’t have done when Truex was this close to winning. 

Denny Hamlin wouldn’t want to be the reason for a caution 

As a racer, the moment you see your teammate leading, you try to make sure that they win or at least don’t cause any problems. But, the previous season’s New Hampshire winner Christopher Bell smacked his car against the wall. Truex Jr. only had 15 laps left, and he had led 254 of the total 301 laps. Well, this was definitely not an instance where Christopher Bell was getting any support from other drivers as well. And Denny Hamlin just proved this right. Podcast co-host Jared Allen asked the 3-time Daytona 500 winner a somewhat rhetorical question. 

“As a teammate of Martin Truex Jr., is it your responsibility to not wreck yourself, with a handful of laps to go, to bring it under caution?” he asked. 

While the answer to this is quite predictable, Denny Hamlin adds an interesting observation. 

“Yes, yes it is. It seemed like people were talking about that more, years ago. But yeah certainly. It’s the only way they’re gonna lose a race right, if something crazy happened. Certainly, you don’t wanna be the reason that a caution comes,” he said. 

It is quite evident that Bell isn’t getting any sympathy from Hamlin regarding this crash. And while his answer was more or less what fans had predicted it would be, he added an enlightening explanation to it.

It was the team that would’ve taken a hit, not a racer

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Denny Hamlin analyzes the crash not for how it might have affected Joe Gibbs Racing altogether. He thinks of Truex Jr. and Bell as teammates first and racers later. He explains further about the reasons why bringing out a caution would be hampering a teammate’s chance to win. 

“Because if you bring out a caution, and now you got a bad finish for your team and then the guy who’s leading doesn’t win either. Like its a double whammy for Joe Gibbs Racing so yeah. Certainly once it gets strung out like and your within 5 laps to go or 10 laps to go, its like, “What are we gonna get here? Can we get the next guy or not? Do I have any threat behind, yes or no?” Like at point, you’re just trying to keep your four tires on the asphalt, heading in the right direction,” admitted Hamlin. At a moment when such pressure builds, a wreck from a teammate is the last thing one would like. 

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With the anticipation for the upcoming race at Pocono Raceway rising, fans can’t wait to watch whether Truex Jr. will bag his fourth win of the season. Maybe this time a teammate won’t come in between?  

Read More: After His Victory Was Nearly Jeopardized, Martin Truex Jr Demands Joe Gibbs to Establish Stringent Policy Against Teammates