"He’s going to be part of the playoffs": Denny Hamlin on teammate Ty Gibbs' potential during 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs made a strong start to their 2024 NASCAR campaigns at the Busch Light Clash. The veteran emerged as the winner of the pre-season event while 21-year-old Gibbs stole the limelight.

Hamlin started on the pole for the 150-lap event, but Gibbs, who started behind him, led the most laps of the event. He battled veteran drivers like Joey Logano and Kyle Busch.

Although the #54 Toyota driver looked poised to take his first victory at the Cup level, he lost the lead and was spun out of contention in the final laps of the event.

After witnessing Ty Gibbs' progression from his rookie campaign, Denny Hamlin suggests the 21-year-old will have tremendous success this season. The 23XI Racing co-owner was high on the Gibbs' prospects this season, predicting that he would secure a spot in the playoffs.

"He's just gotten better. He’s very young. He’s green. He is definitely green. I have a lot of interactions with Ty, obviously, he flies to and from races with me each and every week and he asks a lot of questions," he said in the post-race press conference (via Frontstretch).

"I think he’s going to have tremendous success this year. I think he’s going to be part of the playoffs. I don’t think that’s going to be a big shock to anyone," added Hamlin.

Denny Hamlin was also optimistic about Ty Gibbs' long-term prospects, as he believes Joe Gibbs' grandson is here to stay given the solid foundation he has built over the years.

"He’s certainly way ahead of that step, and we are gonna be talking about him for 20-plus years," he said.

Gibbs narrowly missed the playoffs last season finishing 18th in the standings. Putting together strong performances in the second half of the season, he is likely to carry the momentum into the 2024 season avoiding any sophomore season slump.

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Denny Hamlin didn't want to compromise Ty Gibbs' first Cup win

Ty Gibbs was the fastest driver in the Busch Light Clash and came very close to taking his first win in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, his efforts were undone in the penultimate restart as Denny Hamlin took the lead as Gibbs was left jostling with Joey Logano.

NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash

Post-race, Hamlin said that he was very considerate of not ruining his teammate's race, while they battled at the front. He said in the press conference:

"Yeah, it's tough. I certainly knew Ty battling for his first win, I certainly wasn't going to do anything to try to compromise that."

Hamlin added:

"My goal was certainly to not have contact with Ty or affect that just simply because it's a kid's first opportunity, real opportunity to go win but also I'm going to do everything I can to win in a very fair manner and I feel like that's what we did."

Kicking off his season with a victory, Denny Hamlin heads to Daytona looking for his fourth Harley J. Earl Trophy.