Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell earned himself a victory at the Circuit of the Americas, making it two wins in the last two years at the famous track. While Bell was busy doing burnouts, his teammate Denny Hamlin had to settle for much less, finishing in P21.
Not sugarcoating his feelings about the result, Hamlin made a hard-hitting confession about what he thought of his teammate’s win.
Denny Hamlin Reveals His True Thoughts Behind a Teammate Winning a Race
For Hamlin, the race weekend at COTA was not one to remember, thanks to a series of setbacks and fender-benders. However, the most upsetting part of the weekend for Hamlin came in the form of Bell winning the race ahead of Kyle Busch.
Both JGR drivers were driving the same car but had a polar opposite race. While Bell was fighting for the race lead, Hamlin had no clue what was happening in the front of the pack.
Speaking on the “Dirty Mo Media” Podcast, Hamlin addressed the stark difference between himself and his teammate and revealed that he hates seeing a teammate win because it makes him look bad.
“There is nobody that I hate seeing win more than my teammate. Because I know they’re driving the same thing that I’m driving. That’s not a good look for me,” Hamlin said.
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Hamlin had to endure a lot more punishment out on the track than his teammate. He was involved in an opening lap pile-up, damaging his Toyota No. 11’s front left side. He would then receive a penalty for cutting short on Turn 5 before turning into Austin Dillon on Lap 78 of the race.
Meanwhile, Bell was able to pick up his second race win of the season, making it two wins out of three races in 2025. Racing in Atlanta, Bell was able to edge out Kyle Larson moments before a final lap caution, bringing home the first checkered flag of the season. He would then outlast a challenge from Busch to retain his COTA crown from 2024.
