“There’s never been any rules”: Denny Hamlin extremely clear about Toyota’s involvement in Martinsville controversy

Following the controversial last lap at Martinsville Speedway, Denny Hamlin stated Toyota doesn’t play a role in race strategies. Hamlin pointed out that the Japan-based manufacturer never made any rules for its drivers in NASCAR.

For context, the No. 23 23XI Toyota Camry of Bubba Wallace was under fire for allegedly letting the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Christopher Bell pass for 18th on the final lap, which gave Bell the point needed to advance to the next round. Wallace said in a post-race interview that his car slowed down due to a mechanical issue.

In the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin defended Toyota amid the ongoing controversy. The 23XI co-owner and No. 11 JGR driver said the manufacturer didn’t ask 23XI to help out JGR at Martinsville.

“The only thing I can tell you for a fact because I am part of the Toyota Racing is Toyota Racing never, not once this week, told 23XI to do anything for JGR. They were not involved, whatsoever," Hamlin said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a conversation saying, ‘If this happens, then you have to do this.’ They’ve never said that… even on superspeedways,” the Virginia native added.

Denny Hamlin concluded by clarifying Toyota is only involved in building the cars and not in race strategies.

“They’ve left it up to the teams. It’s just kind of, ‘You guys figure this out, right? We’re going to provide you what we provide you but we hope you work together.’ But that’s it. There’s never been any rules that Toyota has laid out to say, ‘This is what we want you to do.’”

Christopher Bell’s pass on Bubba Wallace forced the No. 20 car to the outside wall. Bell then rode the wall for a while before crossing the checkered flag.

After the race, NASCAR determined the wall-riding maneuver was a safety violation. In turn, Bell was penalized, dropping his finishing position from 18th to 22nd. The penalty cost the driver points to get out of the elimination zone, allowing William Byron to secure the final spot in the Championship 4.

The NASCAR Cup Series teams partnering with Toyota include Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI, and Legacy Motor Club.

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Denny Hamlin got eliminated from playoff contention at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin was eliminated from playoff contention, along with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell, after the Martinsville race. This marked the third consecutive season the No. 11 driver was eliminated in the Round of 8.

Per Frontstretch, the 63-time Cup race winner pointed out that the car lacked speed during the race, saying:

“Just more speed, more capability. I just felt like our balance was pretty good; we were just not fast enough to run with the other cars. Obviously, we struggled with speed today, and that was not ideal, but we just gotta get better.” [2:29]

Denny Hamlin finished fifth at the Xfinity 500 from Martinsville Speedway. He scored 40 points but it wasn’t enough to advance to the championship race. Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott were the other two playoff drivers eliminated after the Round of 8.

The season finale will be held at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 10.