Denny Hamlin says he would’ve loved 'equal tires' after losing to Shane van Gisbergen, Ty Gibbs, and Tyler Reddick

Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on the recent Chicago Cup Series race and revealed that he wanted to be on par with the likes of Shane van Gisbergen and Ty Gibbs in terms of tires. Speaking to the media after the race, Hamlin stated that he saved fuel during the race, which ultimately hurt his tires.

The recently concluded Grant Park 165 at Chicago saw van Gisbergen take the checkered flag before everyone else once again as he proved his mettle at street courses. With this, he secured two victories in quick succession in two non-oval tracks, the other being Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, in Mexico City, Mexico.

Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Ty Gibbs, came home in second, while 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick wrapped up the top three positions. Hamlin, despite starting from 40th place, finished in fourth, but he felt that he had more potential in his car if his tires were 'as good as' the front two drivers.

"Truthfully, that’s where we were at on pace. It wasn’t a crazy strategy or anything like that. Just thought the car was really, really good. I would’ve loved to not have to save fuel with the No. 54 (Ty Gibbs) and the No. 88 (Shane van Gisbergen) there just to see how far off I am and how much I stack up," he said (via NBC).

"The car had pace in it and that’s the key to getting a good finish, but beyond that once I was able to get towards the front I could save and take it easy on my tires. I would’ve loved to have been on equal tires just to see how far off I am from the front two guys. It just didn’t seem like that much," Hamlin added.

Denny Hamlin started his race in 40th place but improved significantly to post a 26th-place finish by Stage 1. In Stage 2, Hamlin moved further up to sixth place and improved two places further to come home in fourth place.

---

Denny Hamlin furious after his car blew up in Chicago practice

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course - Source: Getty

Denny Hamlin was furious after his Toyota Camry XSE broke down during the Practice session ahead of the Grant Park 165 in Chicago. His car started smoking, dumped oil, and spun to end his day before he could even go for a flying lap. As a result, he had to start his race from the back of the pack.

"We want to be in control as drivers," Hamlin told TNT Sports. "We want to be in control of our result. You don't want to have mechanical (issues) stop you from that, and obviously this is a race track where it's important to have reps. We spend hours upon hours practicing, getting ready -- all that stuff and you know, couldn't even make a pace lap before we blew up."

After 19 races, Denny Hamlin is in fourth place in the drivers' championship with 589 points. So far, he has picked up three wins, nine top-fives, 10 top-10s, and 19 playoff points.