Latest / Kenny Wallace Media / All Eyes Are On Denny Hamlin | Stephanie Otey Reports/NASCAR Press Conference

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All Eyes Are On Denny Hamlin | Stephanie Otey Reports/NASCAR Press Conference · Kenny Wallace Media

• 0:00
  It is the Denny Hamlin show here in Phoenix for the Cup Series
• 0:03
  championship amongst the final four.
• 0:06
  All the questions seem to be pointed towards Denny Hamlin.
• 0:09
  He won that emotional 60th in Vegas after winning the poll,
• 0:13
  just like he did here in Phoenix.
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  He qualifies P1, gets that first pit stall led the way in
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  practice amongst the Championship 4 as well.
• 0:21
  It is important. I think it's a little bit less
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  than the normal just simply because I think a fast car still
• 0:28
  going to make their way to the front, especially with this new
• 0:31
  tire and we have got some good fall off.
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  Obviously the timing line got moved back from the first stall.
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  So it's it's it's an advantage. It's just small.
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  He's also top five in the most popular driver, which seemed to
• 0:45
  really shock him. I don't know that I've ever been
• 0:47
  in the top 10. So that in itself was quite a
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  shock. So yeah, I don't know what's
• 0:54
  changed, but I certainly do appreciate it.
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  Is that is that attributed to a lot of veteran drivers at points
• 1:01
  that are booed earlier in their careers trying to kind of
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  gravitate towards being fan favorites?
• 1:05
  We've seen that. Is that part of it?
• 1:06
  Is it for us? Is it part of you taking on?
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  NASCAR and being the person who's willing.
• 1:10
  To stand up for. Yeah, I'm not.
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  I'm not really sure what it is. I think it's probably a
• 1:15
  culmination of all of it. I think that sometimes things
• 1:24
  are in the moment as well. Like I think that one of the
• 1:27
  defining moments in my popularity was Martinsville
• 1:31
  2017, right? That was with Chase.
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  That was a negative moment for for the popularity.
• 1:37
  And then I think, you know, races like Vegas could sometimes
• 1:40
  have the opposite effect. And so I do think that, you
• 1:44
  know, people can only understand you for what they see on TV and,
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  you know, sometimes you rub them the wrong way and sometimes they
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  connect with you. And, and I think that those were
• 1:56
  two moments that maybe that, you know, maybe turn the pendulum,
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  I'm not sure, but it's certainly that's that was it's super
• 2:05
  unusual to see my name. On the list.
• 2:07
  Do you think you're? Really.
• 2:08
  In your career, you. Were I'm probably fit, yeah, but
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  but with, you know, as long as those guys keep voting, you
• 2:14
  never you never know. I think the the chances are
• 2:17
  slim, but you know. We'll see.
• 2:19
  I talked with a bunch of Denny's friends who are in town here to
• 2:22
  celebrate this championship run that he's on.
• 2:26
  They have custom made gears saying all aboard that bandwagon
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  that Denny's been talking about and it just really seems like it
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  is scripted for him to finally get that championship, drop the
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  mic and walk off with what he's been working for his whole
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  career. And he was asked if, you know,
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  it really just seems too good to be true.
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  He didn't really seem to be fazed by that too much.
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  Jennifer, Associated Press. Denny, over here.
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  I'm over here. Thank you.
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  Wow, back there did you make someone went mad or no?
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  Just like I'm not in the bathroom.
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  You're working your way there. Thanks, Denny.
• 3:12
  Do you have a question? So is everything going?
• 3:18
  He's right behind you, so just watch what you say.
• 3:23
  Is everything. What are you doing?
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  What are you doing? Lighting in the mood in this
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  room, good Lord. Is everything going too well for
• 3:33
  you? Like like like is it?
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  Is it lining? Oh, whammy.
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  And does the first pit stall is that does that help you not
• 3:45
  speed? I I'm not one of, I'm not in the
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  top 10 or even 15. I don't think of speeding this.
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  You've got 5. I do, yeah.
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  They're not all the same. Some of them, some of them when
• 3:58
  you're crashed, you just test the limits to right.
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  Some of them are not real. So like competitively, I feel
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  like I've got a couple. I mean, I don't know, it's the
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  the pit Rd. It's got some bends to it.
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  It's got some it straightens out, then it bends again.
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  It's just it's got some different characteristics to it.
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  But overall, you know, I feel confident that, you know, we can
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  execute this weekend that the way we should.
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  And yeah, I mean, the number one pit stall is, you know, years
• 4:32
  past is a big advantage, right, Kyle?
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  Yes, yes, definitely. So is my pick here though.
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  Yes, that too. But it's it, you know, it did go
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  away over the last couple years, but it's still, I mean, it's,
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  it's a fraction, fraction better.
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  But for myself, it probably takes a little bit of pressure
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  of having to get all of it on my portion rolling.
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  So we'll see how it all goes, but.
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  Are are you getting concerned that everything's going to
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  right? No, I, I don't think so.
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  I mean, you can only help the things that you, you can control
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  and, and obviously, you know, I, I, we'll just do the best we can
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  tomorrow for 312 laps. I hope it's enough.
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  Thank you. Go up front here to Jeff.
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  So now what? Do you guys do for the rest?
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  Of tonight. I mean, not that I'm.
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  I'm not like trying to invite myself to whatever you're doing,
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  but. What are you?
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  What are? You like?
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  Do you go? To dinner?
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  Do you watch Xfinity race? How do you process the rest of
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  this day? I mean, I think it's probably
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  different for everybody, but yeah, I just have some kind of
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  personal time and and some friends and family that are that
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  are in town. It seems like everyone kind of
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  comes by the weekend. So yeah, just kind of do all
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  that stuff and try to keep yourself in a whatever feels
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  normal to you. Yeah, I mean, I think treating
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  it normal is always good. So yeah, as they've all
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  mentioned, you know, more people in town.
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  So yeah, I'll get dinner with my friends and family and watch the
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  Xfinity race, watch game seven of the World Series probably,
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  and haven't decided if I'm going to sleep at the house or the
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  bus, but we'll fight that battle when it comes.
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  Yeah, I mean, for me, I'll, I'll go back and probably, you know,
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  listen for my wife how bad the kids have been and how hard it's
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  been all day and then maybe change a diaper potentially,
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  hopefully not. And then, yeah, just go to to
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  dinner with my family. Then probably look at some data
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  to figure out why I'm so slow. No, I'll just.
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  Yeah, be at the house. Our kids sleep good through the
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  night. I'm sure tonight now they'll be
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  up all night. But yeah, come.
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  On go over here to the right for two questions.
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  I'm Chopper Motorsports today. First off, Danny, Congrats on
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  the poll over here over here raising my hand.
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  So this is your 48th career poll, good for 11 full time. 48.
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  Yep, and eight, eight of those you've won from the poll.
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  But what? I'm wondering.
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  Is that's an overlooked accomplishment, But how do you
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  see that throughout your career just on the list of having that
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  consistent speed? Yeah, I mean the fact we've only
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  won eight of those is is not great.
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  So I don't know that it directly correlates, but certainly it
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  it's always an advantage to qualify on the pole.
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  There's never a disadvantage to to starting first and and having
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  the number one pit stall. So yeah, I don't know, you just
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  hopefully it's 9, you know that, you know, you just try to do
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  everything you can to execute it, but it's just you know,
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  things have always progressed to a lot of it depends on the
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  racetrack and and I just truly believe tomorrow the best cars,
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  whoever it is, and it could be someone that qualified 20th can
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  make their way to the front with with the tire and the track
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  surface that we've got right now.
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  So hopefully, I think it's going to be a battle amongst US4 with
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  probably a few other sprinkled in there.
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  But yeah, it's going to be fun to watch.
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  And then whenever question for Kyle, obviously William and
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  Denny have been in the championship four position
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  before, but Kyle, you've only wanted before up there with a
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  championship prior. So I'm wondering, just how do
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  you see your weekend right now, Just your mentality different
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  from others going into the championship race?
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  I don't know. I mean, I remember being pretty
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  grounded and laid back in 2021 because we had had a great
• 8:33
  season to that point. So I was, I was pretty content
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  whether we won or lost the championship that we, you know,
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  had an amazing year. And then I think the experience
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  that I've had in the Final four since then has made me just as
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  calm this time. So I don't know.
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  I've, I've felt pretty good about things this week and felt
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  like I've you handled it well, just, you know, the plannings
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  of, you know, family and friends and whatnot coming out just
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  through the other experiences. So yeah, just glad we're, you
• 9:04
  know, one day away from getting to finally get on track to to go
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  race. Fernando Cruz, Veravision.
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  I don't know it was watching NASCAR, but when I do, I talk to
• 9:14
  Danny. Danny.
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  You got a big. Fan base in Mexico City, there's
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  a poll going on. No pressure, but everybody is
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  expecting you to do marbles like and winning.
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  So what's the message? Over go ahead.
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  I think it's chat bots that are skewing those polls.
• 9:36
  No, I think it's a a different one, no.
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  Yeah, no, but. What's the What do we say to
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  them? Yeah, it's just, you know,
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  appreciate the support. Wish I could have seen you guys
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  this year, but didn't work out. But yeah, it's just, you know,
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  Mexico has obviously been a big part of the NASCAR schedule this
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  year. Going down there was a great
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  event. And now the fans when when we
• 9:58
  raced down there probably 20 years ago, you know, the fan
• 10:03
  base was big. They loved, they loved
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  Motorsports down there. So yeah, just, you know, tell
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  them thank you and hopefully we can deliver.
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  We're. Going to go to Matt and then
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  Jonathan mattweavermotorsport.com one for
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  Denny. Then Denny and Chase.
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  Same question asked earlier, but a different way in the Next Gen.
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  era at Phoenix. The pole sitter.
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  Or the best qualifying of the four has won the championship
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  for the five. Years your reaction every time's
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  different I mean I don't know did did Williams win from last
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  week like just automatically give them all this momentum.
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  I, I finished last. I don't really think it, it's
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  just this sport is so weak to weak and it's just so it's, it's
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  hard to draw. And I know there's always
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  connections to statistics, but again, there's just more
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  variables this time around. And, and so it, it sounds good.
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  It really does sound good, but it you know you statistics don't
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  do the work. And then Denny.
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  Ann Chase. Coach was right there in the
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  trenches with. Y'all saw the picture Chase
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  your. With your guys too.
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  On one hand, is that extra pressure create intensity?
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  Or attention. Or is it just nice to have Coach
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  be? Right there with you guys.
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  Fighting for this championship with you.
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  I mean, for me, obviously I'm, I'm newer than what Denny is,
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  right? So just for me, just to get to
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  see how dedicated Coach is, I mean, he's been at every
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  practice session, qualifying session.
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  I mean, he flew to Mexico City by himself just to come watch
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  his race. So yeah, it's it's pretty cool
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  just to see how involved he is and how invested he is.
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  And yeah, definitely, I noticed him, you know, in the garage
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  yesterday. And I think it just says a lot
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  about how dedicated he is to, to obviously NASCAR and just how
• 11:49
  bad he wants to win too. He is, I mean, he, he show he is
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  a workaholic. I mean, that's kind of just, you
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  could just drive by JGR any given 8:00 AM during a weekday
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  and his car's out there. He's just, he leads by example.
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  And I think that's how he gets the most out of his people as he
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  leads by that example of his work ethic and the guys
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  invested. You know, he's, he's walking
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  that shop floor each and every day, going to every department,
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  figuring out how we're going to make our cars faster.
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  Go to Jonathan, Wolfgang and then Cole.
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  Jonathan failed the race and experts William.
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  This is for you, you know that. 24 car.
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  I know it's been 24 years since it last.
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  Won. Championship got a.
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  Scheme that looks very. Kind of calls back to that
• 12:37
  drought and everything, the championship drought.
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  What can you say to? Fans and.
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  What would it? Mean to you to be able.
• 12:42
  To. Break that championship drought.
• 12:44
  Well, I mean, I think it's it's awesome that I drive such an
• 12:47
  iconic car and such a cool paint scheme.
• 12:49
  It looks like a Hot Wheels car. So it's yeah, it always looks
• 12:52
  great on the racetrack. And you always kind of know
• 12:55
  EXALT is going to do their best to give you something that that
• 12:58
  is, you know, just the best looking car out there.
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  So it's it's nice. And what would it mean to you?
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  If you did break that drought on Sunday, yeah.
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  It'd be cool. I mean, it's, you know, I think
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  Jeff's been a great mentor for myself really since we met in
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  the truck days and just kind of taking me under his wing and
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  just kind of, you know, giving me a little advice here and
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  there. He's he's never really wanted to
• 13:20
  be overbearing, but he's, he's always there.
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  You know, even before qualifying today, he was in the holler.
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  So it's cool. Go to Wolfgang, Wolfgang Monza
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  from Germany Ranch for press agency.
• 13:33
  Only one question for all four of you coming from Europe.
• 13:36
  I mean, this extremely hot weather, it's very unusual.
• 13:39
  We have already snowed over the. Is this a critical factor for
• 13:42
  the race? This extremely hot temperatures
• 13:45
  during the race, I mean when you have cooler weather, you have
• 13:49
  more oxygen, which is better for you and also for the equipment.
• 13:54
  I I don't know, it's not unusual for this track, I don't think.
• 13:58
  I think usually the spring might be a little bit cooler than what
• 14:02
  this race particular is. And as the schedule is kind of
• 14:05
  move back, you know, one or two weeks from when we're used to
• 14:08
  finish our season, obviously this a little bit hotter time
• 14:12
  for this area. But, you know, we've these cars
• 14:16
  are, you know, pretty durable in that sense.
• 14:18
  And the heat, yeah, it can play its role on, you know, tire
• 14:23
  wear. It can play its role on brakes
• 14:25
  and things like that. But other than that, it's it's
• 14:30
  not much different from the cockpit.
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  What about yourself in the cockpit?
• 14:33
  How is the heat situation in the cockpit?
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  I don't want to talk to the guys that wear the cool suits.
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  It's I like the elements for for guys who don't wear cool suits.
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  So. Nothing wrong with.
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  Luxury. All right, We'll go up here in
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  the front to Cole. Cole Kusuman with Arizona
• 15:02
  Republican Speech Freaks for Chase.
• 15:04
  You mentioned earlier kind of going back later tonight and
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  seeing why you guys are so slow. It's been a tough start to the
• 15:09
  weekend obviously, but what are some positives that you and the
• 15:12
  team could take away from what's transpired so far this weekend?
• 15:16
  Yeah, I mean, I said slow. I was kind of joking.
• 15:18
  I mean, they're 123 and I'm 12th, right.
• 15:21
  But yeah, I think just trying to go back and see what I can do
• 15:24
  for tomorrow. You know, I didn't get a lot of
• 15:26
  practice laps, so I don't really know what my car is going to do
• 15:29
  on the long run. So that's the big thing is just
• 15:31
  trying to, you know, go and see, you know, how the the cars drove
• 15:35
  differently from lap one through 5 to, you know, lap 20 on just
• 15:38
  because I don't, I don't know how my car is going to drive.
• 15:40
  But just trying to kind of see how they're going to, you know,
• 15:43
  trend. That'll be the biggest thing.
• 15:45
  And then you mentioned the lack of track time obviously.
• 15:47
  Is that something where you can kind of collaborate with the
• 15:49
  other teams or is having Denny with competing with you for the
• 15:53
  championship kind of limit that? No, I don't think so.
• 15:56
  I mean, we, we still can see, you know, everything, right,
• 15:59
  Whether it's the 11 or the 20 or the 54.
• 16:01
  So I think that was the the good thing for us is that, you know,
• 16:04
  after our short practice, we at least could still go see what
• 16:07
  other guys were doing and what works and what didn't work.
• 16:09
  And it's not like it's really foreign territory.
• 16:12
  I mean, maybe we got 20 minutes of practice.
• 16:14
  So that's what we typically get. So yeah, I'm not too worried
• 16:17
  about that. Thank you.
• 16:19
  Go to Davey in the back Davey Siegel with SiriusXM NASCAR
• 16:23
  Radio. This question is for.
• 16:24
  William, Kyle and Chase. And Danny, if you want to weigh
• 16:26
  in, you can. Too.
• 16:27
  But it seems like this week and just.
• 16:29
  The last few. The fan sentiment has been.
• 16:32
  Overwhelmingly positive towards Danny to get that monkey off his
• 16:36
  back. And win the championship.
• 16:37
  I mean, Jeff did a poll earlier in the.
• 16:39
  Weekend Danny got 50% of the. Vote that, people.
• 16:41
  Want to see him win? Does that surprise you?
• 16:44
  3 at all I. Mean I don't really look at the
• 16:48
  app Twitter, so I don't know. But does it just surprise you?
• 16:52
  Just the fan sentiment that's. How you know it's?
• 17:02
  Called X now. No, I mean, I honestly, I'm not
• 17:06
  surprised, I guess I think because, yeah, everybody likes
• 17:14
  a, you know, story like that where somebody nearing the end
• 17:19
  of their career, all that all that, you know, is great.
• 17:22
  So, yeah, I mean, I can see why people would cheer for him.
• 17:25
  I mean, I'm a competitor, would I?
• 17:28
  I obviously want to win, but it would be it would be really
• 17:31
  cool, you know, to see somebody who's put in so much time to
• 17:35
  this sport and been so close so many times and sixty wins like
• 17:39
  there's I agree, you know, so I'm going to want to kick his
• 17:43
  ass tomorrow, but it's not going to kill me if he wins unless he
• 17:47
  runs me on the fence again. Fair.
• 17:50
  Enough, Yeah. I mean, it doesn't surprise me.
• 17:53
  I mean, I think, I mean, anybody with common sense knows that
• 17:56
  Denny's more than capable of being a A champion.
• 17:58
  I mean, you don't win 60 races. And yeah, I, I think it would
• 18:01
  be, you know, shame, right? If, if, whenever he does decide
• 18:04
  to hang it up, you know, he would he would be the the best
• 18:07
  ever that's never won one, right.
• 18:08
  And I think everybody knows that he's more than capable.
• 18:10
  And, yeah, I mean, even myself, right?
• 18:12
  Like Kyle said, I'm a competitor.
• 18:13
  But like, if, if I don't win, like, yeah, I want Denny to win
• 18:17
  just so he can kind of have that, you know, on his resume.
• 18:20
  So yeah, I think doesn't surprise me at all.
• 18:22
  Let the fans feel the same way, all right?
• 18:25
  We're going to go to Kenny in the middle there and then we'll
• 18:26
  wrap up with Reed. Kenny Sargent with Speed Freaks
• 18:29
  and following up on that Chase, this is Chase, this is for you
• 18:32
  and Denny and then Kyle and William.
• 18:35
  Coach Joe Gibbs. Who does he want to win the
• 18:37
  championship and who does Rick Hendrick want to?
• 18:40
  Win the championship. I don't think it matters.
• 18:43
  It pays the same. Whichever one wins.
• 18:47
  I I agree with what he says. I'm, I'm a coroner.
• 18:50
  I can tell you I wouldn't care either one.
• 18:53
  Yeah. I mean, sentimentally, I would
• 18:54
  say yeah, you definitely would rather see Denny win, but it
• 18:58
  pays the same. I mean, I know which two he does
• 19:02
  not want to see win so. Yeah, I feel like, I don't know,
• 19:07
  I don't have kids, but isn't you're not supposed to have a
• 19:09
  favorite kid, right? Right now it works.
• 19:20
  All right, we're going to wrap up up here in the front with
• 19:22
  Reed. Spencer with the NASCAR wire for
• 19:30
  all you guys with the engine rule, you're running a used
• 19:33
  engine this week. Do any of you guys know what
• 19:35
  engine is in your car and do you care?
• 19:40
  I think mine came out of Chase's Martinsville car last week.
• 19:45
  So yeah, Cliff and everybody had a long night Sunday night
• 19:48
  getting it out and getting it ready.
• 19:51
  I have no clue. I wouldn't normally.
• 19:54
  I can't. Believe he knows.
• 19:55
  I wouldn't normally know, but Cliff called me Sunday night so.
• 19:59
  Says we're getting that engine. Yeah.
• 20:01
  Must be a good one. It must be good.
• 20:03
  It must be good. I I have no idea.
• 20:07
  I had a similar thing to Kyle. They just told me on Monday
• 20:09
  afternoon so. I I know that Denny and I do not
• 20:13
  have our last week engine they. Said it was.
• 20:15
  Yeah, I just. No, I.
• 20:17
  Haven't said. Denny and I definitely do not
• 20:18
  have our last week engine. No, no.
• 20:24
  All right, guys, thanks for joining us today and good luck
• 20:26
  tomorrow in the championship race.
• 20:28
  But love him or hate him, you all better cherish this
• 20:31
  championship run Denny Hamlin is on.
• 20:33
  He's talked a lot about wanting to finish on a high note, and
• 20:37
  what a high note it would be to finally get that championship
• 20:40
  win. That might drop as he heads in
• 20:42
  the court as he's suing NASCAR. So you all better cherish this
• 20:47
  one. If he gets that win may even be
• 20:50
  his last.