"It's a very imperfect process" - Denny Hamlin critiques Goodyear's tire variance after Bristol playoff race

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin recently shared his thoughts on the tire performance in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hamlin secured a top-five finish in both races at Bristol this season.

Hamlin pilots the #11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, competing full-time in the Cup Series. In his NASCAR career, Hamlin has accumulated 74 wins across all NASCAR divisions, with 54 coming in the Cup Series. Despite his impressive success and consistent presence as a frontrunner, the Virginia native is still in pursuit of his first Cup Series championship.

Goodyear Tires, NASCAR's official tire partner, faced significant criticism for tire performance during the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this year. Tires meant to last over 100 laps only endured 40 to 60 laps. However, in the playoff return for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, the tire variants performed far better, exceeding expectations compared to the spring race.

Denny Hamlin, who won the Food City 500, shared his thoughts on the tire performance at Bristol in the playoffs. In a recent episode of the Dirty Mo Media podcast, the Virginia native said (via Instagram):

"It’s a very imperfect process and they have tolerances that, you know, even when they make these tires, they have tolerances. We’re okay with this tire coming out being X amount harder than what it’s supposed to be or X amount softer than what it’s supposed to be."

"I want to be nice to Goodyear because they’ve done some things really in the last year that have been groundbreaking, that certainly I believe shows promise in the future. You know, they didn’t wanna come up with a whole new compound. They actually, you know, they wanted this race to play out more like the spring race," Hamlin added.

Hamlin was in a do-or-die situation for advancing to the Round of 12 in the 2024 playoffs. Following a P4 finish in the Bristol Night Race, the #11 driver clinched a spot in the next round to continue competing for his first title. He is currently P6 in the driver standings, and his JGR teammate Christopher Bell is in P2.

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Denny Hamlin shares his thoughts on the Spire-Rick Ware driver swap

In a recent joint press conference, Spire Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing announced a driver swap for their 2025 Cup Series lineup. Corey LaJoie will replace Justin Haley at RWR, and Haley will take LaJoie's place at Spire.

LaJoie was initially speculated to not have a seat in the Cup Series in the upcoming season following an announcement during the Olympic break that stated the split between Spire and their #7 driver. However, the driver swap has revitalized LaJoie's future in the sport.

Denny Hamlin recently shared his thoughts on the driver swap, approving the decision made by RWR and Spire. He said (via the Actions Detrimental podcast on YouTube):

“I think this is good for both. The reason is, I think it takes pressure off of Corey,” Denny Hamlin said. "He had teammates where Zane Smith is coming into his own. Trackhouse letting go of Zane. I don’t know where Zane ends up, but he’s coming into his own really quickly." [from 1:07:15]

LaJoie will pilot the #51 Ford for RWR in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Meanwhile, Haley will drive the #7 entry for Spire.