Owning a Cup Series team while driving for another is one of the trickiest spots to be in NASCAR. It is where Denny Hamlin has been since forming 23XI Racing along with NBA legend Michael Jordan. In a recent conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin spoke about how he handles this obvious dilemma when on the race track.
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He used the battles between him and Tyler Reddick at Michigan on Sunday to make his case. Reddick drives the No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. Right before the final pit stop of the day, Hamlin passed Reddick and made an attempt to break through the two cars in the lead. Unable to pull the move, he dropped back to cool his car off.
Reddick took the opportunity to make a strong move. The No. 11 driver explained, “At that point, I made a move up high in three and four. He now gets to the inside of me and at that point I got a decision to make.
“Do I fight him tooth and nail knowing every spot matters, especially inside this 60, 70 laps to go window, and potentially compromise both our chances to win, or do I just let him go?”
Hamlin reiterated that he would always prioritize his chances of victory in such a conflicting moment. But then, he also emphasized that he would never do anything that would hurt both their chances of winning. And with the race being at Michigan, both drivers knew that side-by-side racing was simply not an option.
He continued, “I’m always going to root for me first selfishly because I’ve got a much shorter window at winning than what he does and that team does.” This short window was something that Dale Earnhardt Jr. discussed earlier in the podcast. The topic came up when discussing the drivers who’ve won a race after crossing 700 Cup Series starts.
Hamlin became only the tenth driver to do so in history after winning at Michigan. While it is certainly an achievement that demands great celebration, it also reminds the world that one of the greatest drivers in history is nearing retirement and that he perhaps has only a few more trips to Victory Lane.
Junior said, “You know, 57 races. And he’s sitting here right now. Right out in front of him is only six more trips to Victory Lane. Damn. That’s a cold hard truth.” If anything, this is a strong enough reason for Hamlin to be selfish and put his own chances of victory ahead of others.
