Denny Hamlin hits back at 'unfair advantage' claims after third straight win

Denny Hamlin has hit out at NASCAR fans who have complained about Toyota's dominance this year.

Ten of the 16 Cup Series races run so far this year (plus the All-Star Race) have been won by Toyota drivers, with Chevrolet claiming five and Ford visiting victory lane just one time all year.

Beyond that, Joe Gibbs Racing's quartet of cars has been running right up front in a number of races lately, with Hamlin fighting Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs for race wins, as well as fellow Toyota star Tyler Reddick.

The manufacturer only has two of its nine cars (driven by John Hunter Nemechek and Riley Herbst) outside of the Chase as things stand, in another sign of just how consistently fast its cars have been.

Hamlin: Toyota advantage is fair

Hamlin spoke about the advantage that Toyota has on his Actions Detrimental podcast this week, pointing out that Ford and Chevrolet have made changes to their machinery while the Camry has remained broadly unchanged in the Next Gen era.

“We’re running the same f****** car for the last few years," he said. "The other manufacturers have changed their cars. We haven’t changed anything. The Toyotas in general really got it clicking right now, but it ain’t unfair. This is a product of a lot of hard work."

He added: “Every manufacturer wants to go out there and figure out the best way to optimize their cars and engines and all the stuff. Toyota right now has got it figured out better than the rest of them and it ain’t because of an unfair advantage. It’s a fair advantage that was earned through hard work."

NASCAR Cup Series standings after Pocono