Denny Hamlin Defends Crew Chief’s Comments About Jimmie Johnson’s Team

Though Denny Hamlin’s crew chief Mike Ford came under criticism for some trash talking after the No. 11 team’s Texas win, the driver stuck up for his team on Friday afternoon.

Among other things, Ford said the No. 11 was better than Jimmie Johnson’s team and said the Hendrick Motorsports pit crew swap showed Hendrick was more about the organization than the team.Hamlin said it was overblown, and that the “he-said, she-said” between teams was “totally irrelevant.”

“He’s the least-cocky guy I know,” Hamlin said. “Anybody who’s been in the sport longer than last week will tell you that. I think he’s just boastful of his own team rather than skeptical of someone else’s. I think it probably just came over wrong.”

The driver said every team, including Hamlin’s, uses negativity as motivation. With the No. 11 team, media predictions get posted on the bulletin board if writers say Hamlin will have a mediocre season so the team can say, “We’re gonna stick it to your ass,” Hamlin said with a smile.

“This is no different,” he said. “To me, it’s whatever works for each individual team or motivation.”

Hamlin said he was slightly surprised to hear Ford’s comments, mainly because the crew chief is “soft spoken and he really never says much.”

“He never really voices much opinion, I guess, to the public; maybe to us, but not the public,” Hamlin said. “I think (Texas) was a big, big emotional win for him as a crew chief and at that point when he won that race, I feel like he was pretty proud of his team.

“And when asked a question of, ‘What do you think of your team versus their team?’ he’s gonna say, ‘My team’s better.’ Any team or crew chief that doesn’t have the confidence that feels like their team’s the best, then they just have no motivation and they’re probably not a good crew chief. I’ll stand behind anything that he says in regard to our team.”