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Denny Hamlin explains what Bubba Wallace needs to do to beat him

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•03/31/25•

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Denny Hamlin Bubba Wallace
Mar 30, 2025; Martinsville, Virginia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) heads to the front stretch followed by driver Bubba Wallace (23) during the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Denny Hamlin shared what Bubba Wallace needs to do to win his first race in nearly two years. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin was asked how Wallace can have a result like he did at Martinsville on Sunday.

“They’ll be able to access where his deficits were compared to me and break that down,” Hamlin said. “At that point, he has a decision to make. If I need to make more speed on corner exit, I have to sacrifice something else somewhere. You can’t just put the throttle down and get more speed on exit.

“It’s an approach thing. Maybe you need to slow up your center a little bit more. Maybe things like that. I think that all that kind of plays a factor, and it’s the constant world that we’re going in every racetrack that we go to, trying to get better.”

Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville on Sunday, and Bubba Wallace finished third. It’s the second consecutive top-five finish for Wallace, who was happy with his performance But when Wallace spoke to FOX Sports after the race, he knew he made some mistakes.

Bubba Wallace talks about finishing third at Martinsville

“A good day nonetheless. I’m trying to scratch my head on what I could have done different,” Wallace said. “My restarts were terrible. One of my best traits, so need to go back and study that. What a great day. Continuing to rebound from the start of our season. Super proud of our group here at the 23 team. McDonald’s Toyota Camry was fast all weekend.

“That final restart, I let that second get away. I don’t know if I had anything for Denny. It would have been fun to try. But all in all, hell of a day for Toyota. Top three. That’s nice. Keep the momentum going, having fun.”

Denny Hamlin has been paying close attention to Bubba Wallace since he drives for his team, 23XI Racing. If the playoffs were to start today, Wallace would be in since he’s had three top-five finishes in the early stages of the season. But a win would clinch a spot for Wallace, meaning he would be in the postseason for the second time in three seasons.