Joe Gibbs leans on two decades of insight as Denny Hamlin’s boss to offer a revealing glimpse into his work ethic

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin recorded his 56th career victory after winning his second consecutive race at Darlington Raceway. In the post-race press conference, his long-time team owner Joe Gibbs offered an inside look at what has made the 44-year-old driver so successful over the years.

Hamlin won the Goodyear 400 at Darlington, thanks to a perfectly-timed final pit stop and a flawless overtime restart. He was running in third place when a late caution flag came out after Kyle Larson spun on lap 290. On the restart, Hamlin launched smoothly and took control of the lead, holding off Byron to cross the finish line with a 0.597-second advantage.

Joe Gibbs, the Hall of Fame team owner of JGR, has worked with Hamlin for nearly 20 years. In the post-race press conference, Gibbs spoke about the determination Hamlin brings to his craft, even after all these years in the sport.

"I could tell you this, one of the things about going in the sim, it’s hard work. You’re in there," Gibbs shared, via Speedway Digest. "Honestly, I think Denny, he is in the sim as much as anybody we have, any of the young guys. Stays after it. I’ve told the story; I mentioned it the last time I talked about Denny."

"I went to him at Watkins Glen two years ago. He struggled road racing. They went as far as putting other setups on his car. That guy went to work in the sim and worked as hard as he could. He set on three poles in road racing. You get somebody that age that still has the drive to get it done. I think Denny has a real drive, and I think we’re fortunate to have him," Coach added.

With the help of this victory, Hamlin has now jumped to second place in the Drivers' standings with 266 points to his name. He is 49 points behind championship leader William Byron.

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Denny Hamlin credits Joe Gibbs Racing's pit crew for his victory

With his 56th Cup Series victory, Denny Hamlin is now tied at 11th place with NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace on the all-time wins list. After the race, Hamlin credited the Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew for the incredible final pit stop that put him in the lead of the race.

Hamlin even took a lighthearted jab at Kyle Larson for bringing out the caution at the perfect time. Speaking after the race, Hamlin shared:

"There’s two people I really love right now, my pit crew and Kyle Larson," Hamlin said with a grin. “Had a little assist there, so thank you. The pit crew just did an amazing job. They won it last week [at Martinsville]. They won it this week. It’s all about them."

Hamlin will return to Cup Racing action next Sunday, April 13, in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The race is scheduled to start at 3:00 pm ET.