Denny Hamlin is pretty amused with the considered profitable the 2024 NASCAR Cup championship within the midst of his group’s — 23XI Racing — authorized battle in opposition to the collection and probably the most highly effective household in all of NASCAR.
“Yeah, I want to have that downside, in truth (laughter),” mentioned Hamlin final weekend. “I all the time say you probably have a problem, you cross that bridge if you get there, however it’s a downside that I’d like to have, however I’d perceive the duties of a champion and definitely, realizing what I’m representing, I feel I’d have the ability to do a superb job of separating the 2.”
The listening to to resolve whether or not 23XI Racing will have the ability to preserve their charters whereas the lawsuit is ongoing takes place on November 4 — simply days earlier than the title-decider in Phoenix. NASCAR has made it clear that they do not need that to occur.
It is not been straightforward for Hamlin on or off the observe recently, and his dream of profitable his first Cup title in his nineteenth 12 months of attempting whereas dealing with off in opposition to NASCAR is starting to appear to be a really tough job. Essentially the most spectacular a part of his 2024 playoff run is the truth that he is nonetheless in it.
After dropping almost half his bonus factors resulting from an engine penalty simply earlier than the postseason arrived, Hamlin was already ready the place there was no room for error. And but, there have been many errors. Conservative methods backfiring, a number of incidents, and a myriad of errors on pit highway have plagued his 2024 playoff run.
Las Vegas was no completely different and the truth that he used a gasoline mileage gamble to complete eighth after such a sloppy race was really fairly an accomplishment. The No. 11 pit crew struggled all through the day and the automobile itself was not very quick. However ‘okay’ end like that will not be ok on this spherical. Hamlin is already 27 factors under the cut-line.
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Yahoo! Toyota Camry
Picture by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Pictures
“Not a clear day,” admitted Hamlin afterwards. “That definitely sums it up. You’ll have that. We did one of the best we might to get one of the best end. I assumed Chris [Gabehart, crew chief] did a terrific job to get some form of end. As soon as we misplaced the observe place early, he was doing one of the best he might to attempt to get it again via technique, after which it goes lengthy there, and we fall to the again. Simply a part of it.”
Hamlin continued: “We aren’t working fairly as sturdy as we had been earlier within the 12 months, and we’re positively not as clear, execution smart, as we had been. We’ll simply have to scrub it up and go to Homestead and attempt to win it.”
Hamlin superior into this semi-final spherical of the playoffs in each 2022 and 2023, however missed the ultimate 4 by single-digit margins on each events. The thought of him profitable the title with this lawsuit ongoing within the background could be fairly the dream consequence for Hamlin however in the interim, it’s only that — a dream.
