Denny Hamlin reacts to brutal speeding penalties for Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs at Bristol

by:Brian Jones•09/25/24•

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Denny Hamlin (18) — Sep 4, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Denny Hamlin speaks to media members during the NASCAR Playoffs Media Day at the Charlotte Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Denny Hamlin did not expect Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs to be hit with speeding penalties at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin shared his reaction to the two drivers getting the penalties, leading to their playoff eliminations.

“Disappointed a little bit for Truex and his team. Obviously, they were running well before that penalty,” Hamlin said. “He obviously feels really really bad. After the race, he said he let his team down, he didn’t do a very good job. It sucks in your last season to go out in the first round and certainly I got a tremendous amount of respect for Martin Truex and hope he gets a win here in these last few races of his career.

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“Him going out, I think it’s a surprise. He’s with a top organization, he’s a top-flight driver. Yeah, things have gone really s*****y for them over the last few months, but I don’t know there’s many others that you have going out before him, but they didn’t.”

More on Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs after playoff eliminations

For Gibbs, Hamlin said he was surprised to see him get eliminated due to the speeding penalty. “I just thought he was going to have more speed than [Chase] Briscoe, but it’s more of a credit to Briscoe than it is anything,” Hamlin said. “…That was just a killer. The speeding penalty was a killer. We saw what it did to Truex. Truex really never came back. He ended up last car one lap down in 24th so nearly two laps down.”

Truex and Gibbs were eliminated from the playoffs along with Brad Keselowski and Harrison Burton. As Hamlin mentioned, this is the final full-time season for Truex as he announced his retirement earlier this year. Truex has won 34 Cup Series races in his career and claimed the Cup Series title in 2017.

Gibbs is in his second full-time Cup Series season and has yet to win a race. However, the grandson of Joe Gibbs Racing owner and Super Bowl champion head coach Joe Gibbs has earned 22 top-10 finishes in 75 races.