Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on the mixed emotions surrounding 23XI Racing after the Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. As the driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin also co-owns 23XI Racing with the legendary NBA star and billionaire, Michael Jordan.
Established in 2020, 23XI Racing competes with two cars in the Cup Series: the No. 45 driven by Tyler Reddick and the No. 23 piloted by Bubba Wallace. With the regular season now concluded, Reddick has ascended to the top of the standings, securing the regular season championship as a two-time Xfinity Series champion. However, his teammate faced a different fate.
Wallace fell short of breaking into the playoff bubble, while Chase Briscoe from Stewart-Haas Racing clinched the final playoff spot by winning the Southern 500. Meanwhile, Hamlin’s JGR teammates, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs, managed to secure the last two playoff positions, becoming the only winless drivers to achieve this.
Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on a recent episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, highlighting the challenge of celebrating team achievements while also encouraging continued effort. “It’s a tricky situation because you want to honor the success of Tyler Reddick and the entire 45 team for their impressive performance this year in the first 26 races,” he explained. “At the same time, you need to support the others by saying, ‘Keep pushing; this is all part of the journey and growth.'”
Hamlin noted that Bubba Wallace has shown consistent improvement during his time with 23XI Racing, particularly in his scoring and finishes. “We’ve seen Bubba’s progress in terms of points, top-5s, and top-10s, which aligns with our expectations for his development,” he remarked.
Despite not securing a win this season, Wallace has achieved five top-5 finishes and ten top-10s across 26 races, leading a total of 119 laps. In the ten races leading up to the Southern 500, he managed two top-5s and three top-10s. Reflecting on this, Hamlin stated, “If you could harness the momentum from your last ten races and replicate that for the next year over 26 races, you wouldn’t find yourself in this position. You wouldn’t be on the bubble.”
As NASCAR gears up for the Round of 16 opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 8th, fans can catch the thrilling 260-lap race live on NBC and USA starting at 3 PM ET.
In the midst of this excitement, Denny Hamlin faces a significant challenge following a hefty penalty that has cost him and his team 75 points in both the driver’s and owner’s championships, along with a loss of 10 playoff points. Additionally, his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, has been slapped with a $100,000 fine.
This L-2 penalty was handed down after the No. 11 JGR team breached NASCAR’s engine inspection protocols. Reports indicate that Toyota Racing Development removed the seal from Hamlin’s race-winning engine from Bristol, disassembled it, and reassembled it before NASCAR could inspect it.
“I need to go win Kansas,” Hamlin stated, reflecting on his four victories at the 1.500-mile tri-oval track. “Yeah, need to go win Kansas. That’ll be my mindset, for sure. But you know, if not, then I’ll do my best every single week.”
He added, “But obviously, it’s just a huge setback, with this type of format. It’s just…it’s a killer,” as he contemplated the impact of the penalty.
With the points reset following the regular season finale, Denny Hamlin currently holds the 6th position in the Cup Series standings with 2015 points. Could this be the season he finally clinches his first championship title? A bit of speculation on that front might be in order.
