Denny Hamlin's NASCAR crew chief Chris Gayle has revealed that the Joe Gibbs Racing star's use of SMT is the key to him staying on top in the Cup Series.

SMT is the platform on which official performance data is collected from every NASCAR car during a race weekend, giving drivers, teams, broadcasters and NASCAR a behind-the-scenes look at exactly how each car is being driven around the track.

The system records data such as speed, throttle, braking, steering, engine RPM, and the car's position on the circuit, showing exactly what a driver is doing at every point of their lap.

Teams use SMT data to compare those laps and see where time is being gained or lost, and from there look to find ways to improve both their cars and drivers' performance.

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Denny Hamlin crew chief on JGR star using SMT

Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week, Gayle revealed that Hamlin studies SMT data more than any driver he has ever encountered, and credited it with why he's running so well of late.

"For sure, a lot more than any driver I've been around,” Gayle said about Hamlin using the SMT data. “And obviously SMT hasn’t been around that long, but he has embraced it as a way too…you know, ‘What can I study that I can be better at than someone else?’

“He’ll look at it from every perspective, whether it’s restarts, passing, what they’re running for lines, qualifying. He has found new ways to keep making sure that he's up to speed on what he's doing there and if anyone else is closing the gap in any way.

“And I think that's really what makes him really good at it because you still have to have good cars. But he leads with the direction of what he needs: ‘Here's what I'm not able to do, here’s what I’m seeing other people do that I can’t do, here’s how I’m going to attack the corner.’ So you can kinda make the car so the balance is going to be aligned with his plan.

“I think you heard him say that post-qualifying last week in Chicago about what he thought he could have run for a lap time, and a lot of that was watching the practice, watching other stuff, looking at normal pickups thinking how much he left on the table by where he wasn't in the throttle and thought he could be with a little more grip.

"Kudos to him for embracing something new and kind of being the best at it now. And I think that's what's made him strong and that'll keep him on top for the next couple of years if he can just maintain that level."

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