Denny Hamlin has often admitted that he will always view himself as a race car driver first and a team owner second. Yet, as much as he wanted to capture the Brickyard 400 victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he seemed genuinely pleased to see Bubba Wallace bring home the trophy for 23XI Racing.
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Starting from the rear of the field, Hamlin clawed his way through the pack to finish third, an effort that was nothing short of remarkable. On the other hand, Wallace was in a class of his own. The No. 23 driver, who started P2, surged to a commanding lead of over five seconds ahead of Kyle Larson.
Though Larson chipped away at the margin, closing to within four seconds with 12 laps remaining, Wallace’s flawless execution on the overtime restarts sealed the deal, holding off the No. 5 car by 0.222 seconds at the finish.
Hamlin was impressed, both as a competitor and team owner. He emphasized why a Brickyard 400 victory carries more weight than most NASCAR wins, pointing out that this race consistently draws the very best from every driver, crew, and department. Winning under such conditions feels far more satisfying than capitalizing on chaos or attrition.
On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said, “It’s not your average race. I mean, this race has always brought the best drivers, teams, engine department, aero department. It’s always brought the best out of everyone.
“Now, it’s a little different nowadays, obviously, because of the Next Gen car, and they’re all more similar than what they used to be. So, it’s not a total showcase of that.
“But look at the guys that were battling up front. It was the #5, the #24, the #11, the #45 was up there… It’s the same four to five every single week. So, it certainly is; regardless of how hard it is to pass, it still is one that brings the best out.
“And so, yeah, it makes you feel good that the #23 team was able to bring a car fast enough for Bubba to drive it as well as he did and certainly execute the restarts, all those things. Like, it’s just a very gratifying win.”
Meanwhile, the team’s second driver, Tyler Reddick, has yet to find Victory Lane this season despite being last year’s regular-season champion. Still, Reddick holds sixth place in the driver standings, leaving him well-positioned for a playoff berth, especially if repeat winners emerge in the next four races.
