Driving for JGR vs Ownership at 23XI Racing: Why Denny Hamlin Feels He Needs to Take a Decision

Few drivers in NASCAR have a schedule as tight as Denny Hamlin does. One can only assume that being the star driver for Joe Gibbs and a business partner for Michael Jordan would take up all the time in the world. However, after spending the last few years grinding to balance these scales, Hamlin has decided to prioritize himself.

In a recent conversation with WTVR’s Lane Casadonte, he revealed that his 2023 schedule barely allowed him the liberty of not punching in to work once a week. But going ahead he wants to be free of responsibility more frequently. “I’m going to try and shift a little bit more time for myself,” he said.

Noting the reasons for his time stress last year, he emphasized that he should stop micromanaging his folks at 23XI Racing. He continued, “I certainly want to peel back a bit more time for myself because I think what I did last year is going to be really, really hard to maintain in the long run. I think there’s a balance there.”

What Hamlin would exactly do with the added free time, he hasn’t decided yet. Regardless of whether he spends it with his family or friends, he certainly is looking to carry some weight off his back.

What keeps Denny Hamlin on the race track despite his age?

Hamlin has enough motivation and drive to continue his roles as a team owner and a driver well beyond 2024. In the first end, he is shouldered by the sporting icon Michael Jordan and his will to transform 23XI Racing into a championship-contending outfit. On the other end is Hamlin’s yet-to-accomplish goal in the Cup Series.

For 18 years he has tried to capture the championship title and failed. But that’s not the bullseye that he is aiming for at 43. For him, 60 wins in the top tier is a more attractive prize. He said to Casadonte, “My personal goal is to get to 60 wins. If I can get to 61 then I could be ahead of Harvick which puts you in the top 10 of all time.”

He continued, “We can talk about championships but there have been champions with 12 wins total, right? And so I just would rather get in the upper echelon of race winners.” With this goal being fired by his undying skill behind the wheel, Hamlin’s age might not get to him as quickly as a section of fans believes.