MADISON,Ill. – Toyota teams are emerging as serious contenders as the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs approach, displaying a level of speed and consistency that has surprised competitors. Denny Hamlin, a two-time Championship 4 participant in 2020-21, underscored Toyota’s potential after leading a race-high 75 laps at Gateway, a track he believes offers parallels to the championship venue at Phoenix.
“I remember showing up to the championship race in 2021 knowing we had no shot, that we weren’t good on the short tracks,” Hamlin said. “I do feel like our cars are good right now. This is a track that you can draw some connections to Phoenix, the distance and the banking. You just never know.The Penske cars have come out of nowhere the last few years when you didn’t think they had the speed. They just showed up one week and, poof, they had it.”
Hamlin added, ”You just never know in this sport. It ebbs and it flows.”
Toyota Racing Development president Tyler Gibbs highlighted the broad strength within the manufacturer’s nine-car lineup. Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota’s most successful association with 166 victories (56 by Hamlin and 56 by Kyle Busch, who won the 2019 title), is joined by strong performances from 23XI Racing – Bubba Wallace recently secured a win at the Brickyard 400 and has five top-10 finishes in seven races – and Legacy Motor Club, which has recorded three top-five finishes in the last three races.
“The tracks have suited us well and our drivers well,” gibbs stated. “I think execution is going to be what wins races in the playoffs and is going to win the championship at Phoenix.The cars are so close, and that execution can take all that away. We’re just going to keep our heads down and keep preparing the way we have.The work that the teams have done is amazing.We had some stumbles at the beginning of the year,and we worked really hard to eliminate those and be ready for the playoffs.”
Hamlin, who secured his 59th career victory recently, also revealed he has 70 races remaining on his current contract, which extends through 2027. He emphasized his desire to remain competitive throughout his career.
“I’m just not going to leave this sport on my deathbed, just leaking oil and running in the back of the pack,” Hamlin said. “I have way too much pride for that. I’m way too cocky for that.There’s just no way. I want to be able to win my last race. To do that, I’m going to have to retire when I’m racing like this.”
In a separate incident at Gateway, Ryan Blaney finished fourth after being spun out by Kyle Larson with 105 laps remaining. Larson apologized, stating he misjudged the distance while attempting a pass, but Blaney remained frustrated.
“he just said he made a mistake, and that’s fine, but at the end of the day, I still got turned,” Blaney said. ”He came from all the way on the bottom of the racetrack and hit me in the left rear. I know he most likely didn’t mean to do it, but it happened anyway. And so that’s just one I’ve got to remember.”
