Toyota cars ruffled feathers for two weeks in a row. In New Hampshire, Denny Hamlin unexpectedly faced his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Ty Gibbs, blocking his path. So, a few warning bumps and eventual aggression followed. But the difference between this fallout and that in Kansas was the battle for track position. While Hamlin and Gibbs fought for 10th spot, Hamlin and Bubba Wallace jostled for the win.

And that is all that mattered to Denny Hamlin right at that moment. The driver of the No. 11 JGR Toyota is also an owner of 23XI Racing, and Hamlin roots for the 23XI drivers like no other. However, the veteran racer is also focused on his career goals, as the clock is ticking.

Denny Hamlin has two sides

In early September, the JGR veteran rolled out a jaw-dropping piece of news. Denny Hamlin announced the timeline of his retirement, which will happen two years from now. Hamlin has clear-cut goals at this moment – he is close to notching his 60th Cup Series race trophy, and has a solid chance to break that 19-year championship-less streak. Hence, when he met with Bubba Wallace, one of the drivers in 23XI, on his path to potential victory in Kansas, all that Hamlin could see was the shining trophy. “I saw an opportunity to win the race,” the veteran said on an ‘Actions Detrimental’ episode.

Denny Hamlin also divulged the reason why he drove into the final corner and slid into Bubba Wallace. While on weekdays he works hard as a 23XI Racing team owner, on the weekends, he is a loyal and dedicated JGR driver. Hamlin shed light on his dual personalities, “When people ask me, How do you balance being a driver and an owner? … every time, I hope I win, I hope they finish 2nd or 3rd. And my mentality in the last one, was I hope I win.”

What is more, the pressure of his retirement clock ticking away with every weekend also took its toll. Denny Hamlin reflected on the number of chances he has left until he will need to hang up his firesuit. He continued, “I’ve got 70 races left in my career, three opportunities left to win a championship. I can win a championship as an owner for decades. But the window is closing. 60 is right in front of me.”

Bubba Wallace and Co. did not run well in New Hampshire, falling from a 14th-place starting spot to 26th. That is why the No. 23 Toyota team entered Kansas 27 points below the elimination cutline. While observing that, Denny Hamlin praised the team’s resilience to win – but unfortunately, they crossed paths with the No. 11. Hamlin said, “In years past, Bubba or the team would have shipped it in halfway and said, Well, we’re not gonna run good today. But they fought back, and that’s what’s gonna…win you a lot of races in the future. But unfortunately, they faced the driver of the 11, who was very very hungry for a win as well.”

Denny Hamlin differentiates between his two roles in NASCAR. That is what allowed the veteran to excuse a questionable act on Wallace’s part as well.

Showing leniency despite the conflict

Well, tempers flared after the last-lap drama in Kansas. As a result of Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace initiating door-to-door contact, both lost pace and allowed Chase Elliott to capture the trophy. Wallace showed flickers of his past in a more emotionally charged form. Since he lost his opportunity to win at a racetrack where he previously clinched a trophy, Wallace was not happy. He called Hamlin “a f—— douche” over the radio. What is more, Wallace even flipped the bird at his 23XI Racing team owner during the cooldown lap. However, Hamlin admitted that he had no complaints about that. That is because Wallace did it to a rival driver from another team, and not to his team owner.

Denny Hamlin reflected on the bird-flipping incident with ease. He said, “If he were to flip me off at 23XI as the car owner, we would have an employer-employee problem, but as a competitor, he flipped off the driver of the 11. Anything directed to me as an owner, I would certainly take an exception to that because I know the resources Michael (Jordan) and I give Bubba every single week to go out there and compete. We have invested a ton to make sure our drivers have the best cars possible. I don’t take that personally because I’m assuming we got someone that is on the field in the game in a heated moment. I give him grace for that because we are competitors on Sunday.”

Therefore, Denny Hamlin brought his dual personalities to justify both arguments. Let’s wait and see if this Toyota conflict continues at future racetracks or not.