Denny Hamlin Urges Critics to ‘Pay Attention to the Race’ Before Judging His Performance

Published 09/28/2020, 7:06 AM EDT

Over the past week or so, the NASCAR paddock has been in a frenzy, owing to news surrounding Bubba Wallace. Recently, Denny Hamlin and NBA legend, Michael Jordan set up a new team, set to compete in 2021. The two have already confirmed that Wallace will be the driver to represent them next season.

Of course, in the wake of the news, many will be wondering if it has affected Hamlin’s performance in any way. However, Hamlin insisted that that was not the case at all. He said, “People look at the results instead of actually paying attention to the race.”

The #11 driver also revealed that he has been working hard on a lot of things. He confessed that he had a bad break in Vegas, just like he had in Darlington. Hamlin also assured that he came away from the Las Vegas race a lot wiser.

Article continues below this ad

How did Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace perform?

Hamlin was reasonably satisfied with 3rd place, though he would have loved to win the race. On the bright side, championship rival Kevin Harvick tumbled down the order from pole position to finish 10th. Meanwhile, Kurt Busch took the chequered flag to win on home soil.

WATCH: Kurt Busch Celebrates His Win on the Track With Brother Kyle Busch at Las Vegas

Article continues below this ad

He finished ahead of Matt DiBenedetto and Denny Hamlin, with Martin Truex Jr. and Alex Bowman in the Top-5. The younger brother, Kyle Busch, ended the race in 6th after starting second, and his winless streak endured.

This was essentially Kyle’s best chance of knocking the monkey off his back, so he would be gutted to miss out again. Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace found himself all the way down in 28th place. Obviously, this would spark rumors that the pressure of the new contract is likely getting to him.

Article continues below this ad

However, Hamlin insists that that is not the case and that he drove a fairly impressive race, even if the statistics do not show it. Denny Hamlin was not too pleased with the fact that some critics were judging Bubba Wallace based on his 2020 results.

He defended the driver’s abilities behind the wheel and declared that he can win races.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.