For perhaps only the sec0nd time in NASCAR history (the late Dale Earnhardt as both a driver and team owner), a driver in contention for the Cup championship is pulling for two different teams.
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Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin obviously wants to win his first-ever Cup championship for himself and his team. But if he and JGR’s other two playoff contenders Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell fall short, Hamlin would like to see another team, 23XI Racing — of which he is a co-owner along with NBA legend Michael Jordan — to win the championship.
Hamlin had a wide ranging interview during NASCAR Cup Media Day this week and here are some of the highlights of Hamlin’s answers to questions posed to him:
- Has he noticed anything different about crew chief Chris Gayle this week?
“I just hope he maintains a level head and takes it as freely as what I am. I’m not going to put any undue pressure on him. I think he’s very capable and certainly has led this team to have as many wins as anyone else in this series.
“I have got full confidence in him, and as long as he maintains that level head and doesn’t change based off of the moment, I think we’ll be successful.”
- What makes your 19th year in the Playoffs different than the previous years?
“It’s just another chance to roll the dice. That’s it. I don’t feel any better or any worse than what I have last year or the year before that or the year before that. They’re all very, very similar.
“I feel as though our team is as strong as it’s ever been, but we’ve seen in the short sample size, it’s just a matter of whether you get unlucky at times or you catch a caution at the right time or not. Do you stub your toe on pit road? Those are the small things that decide whether you move on in the Playoffs or not.”
- Do you expect to make the Championship 4?
“Yeah. It’s the goal at the beginning of the year is to make the Championship 4. To do that you obviously have to put in some work during the regular season and you’ve got to perform well in the Playoffs. I think our record in the Playoffs speaks for itself.
“Our average finish drops every year in the Playoffs. We run better every year in the final 10 than what we do in the regular season. It’s just a matter of all the other variables.
“Does someone who’s way below the cut that ran horrible, do they win and get in and knock us out? Or does someone ride the wall and knock us out? Again, I’m so tainted that I’m just very nonchalant with like let’s just win races and let’s see where this thing ends up.”
- Do you think you’re treated fairly and is 23XI treated fairly as the lawsuit goes on?
“I think we’re treated fairly by the NASCAR officials that are at the racetrack. Yes.”
- Who isn’t treating you fairly?
“The others.”
- Does (the lawsuit vs. NASCAR) affect you?
“No. It just makes me angrier.”
- How do you tune that out and focus on your job?
“Because I want to win the championship. I want to win 60 or more races and so that is my No. 1 goal and so I’m not going to let anyone distract me from that no matter what their motivations might be.”
- Can you and 23XI win a championship this year with everything going on?
“Yeah. Because I believe the people at track treat us very fairly.”
