Denny Hamlin fumes over Joe Gibbs Racing’s engine failure in Chicago

Denny Hamlin pulled no punches, expressing his frustration after an engine failure on his No. 11 Toyota took him out before he could log even a single lap during Saturday’s practice session. Needless to say, it was a major setback for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, which also casts doubts regarding his performance on Sunday, July 6.

With no laps completed, Hamlin was seen speaking with JGR Competition Director Chris Gabehart in the pits while team owner Joe Gibbs looked on. Steven Taranto of CBS Sports uploaded a video showing the same on X (formerly Twitter). He captioned it, saying,

"Denny Hamlin debriefs with his team after blowing an engine immediately in practice. Tough to make out but it sounds like there's something about JGR's process that he's frustrated with. "It's fucking agitating.""

As things stand, the Tampa, Florida-born driver will not make it to qualifying. Instead, he will focus on gaining spots after starting the race from the rear of the field. Trackhouse Racing driver Shane van Gisbergen won the pole and will start on Row 1 alongside Spire Motorsports newcomer and former Daytona 500 winner, Michael McDowell.

Denny Hamlin had a stellar first half of the season, bagging three wins, eight top fives, and nine top-10s, and leading 487 laps so far. His most recent victory came at Michigan a few weeks ago, which also tied him with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell and Hendrick Motorsports ace Kyle Larson for wins.

Fans can watch Hamlin in action on TNT Sports, 2 pm ET onwards. Named Grant Park 165, the 75-lap event will be covered live on the radio as well by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Larson’s teammate, Alex Bowman, happens to be the defending winner of the race.

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“Exposing some new fans to this”- Denny Hamlin gets real about Chicago's positive influence on NASCAR

NASCAR’s existing three-year agreement for the Chicago Street race is coming to an end this year. With the future of the race still uncertain, Denny Hamlin expressed why he thought that the series should keep Chicago on its schedule.

Hamlin said that whenever he is in the city for a race, non-NASCAR fans approach him, seemingly intrigued by the sport. The driver then stated that even the people staying in his hotel have been talking about NASCAR.

“You’re certainly exposing some new fans to this,” Denny Hamlin told Road and Track. “I think it’s very important. I think you try everything you can to get this thing back here in Chicago; it’s an important place for us.”

Now the question is: Will the NASCAR Cup Series host a regular-season, points-paying race in Chicago next year? The 2025 NASCAR schedule was released on August 29, 2024. This means that the fans are about two months out from seeing what’s new for the 2026 season.