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Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell and Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin's fortunes favored the two drivers as they clinched victories in stages 1 and 2 of the Verizon 200 At The Brickyard, respectively.
McDowell managed to move forward from his P4 starting position in the first 15 laps of the 200-mile-long race, followed by Hamlin who clinched the top spot in the second stage after a pit strategy that allowed the #11 Toyota Camry TRD driver to jump the field.
Denny Hamlin's pit strategy involved skipping a pit stop in stage 2 of the race, allowing him to move ahead of McDowell as well as Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez.
Deemed to be one of, if not the fastest car going into the race, Suarez was blitzed by the JGR driver after a bold call by the #11 pit crew, allowing him to take the lead of the race and bag crucial stage points.
33 green flag laps and a few laps under the caution flag were driven by the #11 Toyota without the need for refueling. Denny Hamlin managed fuel saving's during the 82-lap-long race to perfection, earning him an even thicker cushion going into the 2023 postseason.
Denny Hamlin's thoughts on Tyler Reddick's pit crew issues
With persistent issues on pit road for 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick, team co-owner Denny Hamlin has finally touched upon the topic that has proven to be 23XI's Achilles' heel over the past few seasons. Speaking on how to improve the #45 Toyota Camry TRD driver's pit crew performance, he said to thesportsrush:
“We figured at Gibbs, that we would probably get the 5th and 6th best team. That just made sense for Gibbs but it didn’t make sense for us because we feel like we have race-winning cars. But it is a process, it takes time.”
It remains to be seen how the #45 and #23 pit crew evolve during the remainder of the 2023 season. Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Toyota for the team, was also subject to issues on pit road last season, costing him crucial points finishes as well as shots as taking victories at several tracks.
