Denny Hamlin is taking advantage of the new alliance between the engine departments of Toyota Racing Development and Joe Gibbs Racing by using a TRD motor this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.
Kyle Busch Unsure Why Denny Hamlin Wanted TRD Engine, Says 18 Team Staying Loyal To Joe Gibbs Racing Motors
And JGR teammate Kyle Busch isn’t sure why.
“Why those guys decided to change, I don’t know,” Busch said. “For us on the 18 team, we’re pretty confident in (JGR engine chief) Mark Cronquist and what he’s been able to do with his guys at Joe Gibbs Racing. We’re staying committed to our guys, our engine department for this year.”
When TRD and JGR announced the engine program merger last week, JGR team president J.D. Gibbs said it was unlikely that one of his cars would use a TRD motor before the end of the season. Things change quickly, apparently.
“(Hamlin) is going to be our ‘test dummy,’ if you will,” Busch said.
For his part, Busch said he’s had only one in-race engine failure this season and another during practice that he described as “my fault.” That hasn’t been the case for Hamlin.
Will it affect the team’s chemistry and communication to have the top two JGR cars running different engines this weekend?
“Whether it relates to any hard feelings back at JGR, I’m not sure,” Busch said. “That’s why the 18 team is staying committed to JGR engines. We feel like that’s our best opportunity to win a championship.”
Busch said the primary reason for the merger was fuel injection – a point that wasn’t made clear when the TRD/JGR announcement was made.
“We haven’t done any R&D work on fuel injection stuff yet,” Busch said. “Whereas TRD in Costa Mesa (Calif.), they’ve done a lot of work in regard to that and preparing for next year and what that entails.”
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