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Denny Hamlin, in his latest interview, shared that he is eyeing the NASCAR Cup Series championship this season, and would love to take the trophy from Steve Phelps, the President of NASCAR. His admission has come amid his team 23XI Racing's continuous standoff against NASCAR regarding the charter deal.
Hamlin qualified for the round of 8 after last week's Charlotte race. The #11 driver is one of the most experienced drivers in the series, but, he does not have a championship to boast about. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver can change it this time around when NASCAR reaches Phoenix.
"It's a prom I'd love to have is to you know, look towards to have Steve Phelps hand me that championship trophy at Phoenix," Hamlin told Bob Pockrass ahead of the Las Vegas race. "That would just be awesome, right? And we've spoken personally about that and he said he'd be glad to do it. And so certainly, if I win the championship as a driver, I'm the driver of the 11 right, and I represent that team."
"There is another person that is the owner of the 23XI car, so again I can find a way to separate this too. But certainly I'm heavily, heavily motivated. Not only with all those outside factors going on, but generally, the exhale that we had after we go through last round," Hamlin added.
Interestingly, the JGR driver can also rejoice in the title win through Tyler Reddick. If he misses out and Reddick, who drives for his team, 23XI Racing, ends up winning the championship, Hamlin will have the opportunity to lift the trophy as a team owner.
Hamlin is all set to compete in the upcoming South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this Sunday. He is currently placed in sixth place with -8 points below the cutline. Reddick, however, takes third place with +10 points.
Denny Hamlin's 23XI Racing risk losing drivers if court rules out preliminary injunction
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsport might lose their drivers if the court does not allow them a preliminary injunction for next season. The Denny Hamlin, Michael Jordan, and Bob Jenkins-owned teams asked the judge to offer them an injunction for next season so that they could continue to compete.
This has come after 23XI and FRM did not sign the latest charter agreement with NASCAR. Citing the reason, they shared that NASCAR did not provide them with a fair bargaining opportunity.
Their non-compliance meant that their four charters are currently in jeopardy. Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell (to be replaced by Noah Gragson next season), and Todd Gilliland's NASCAR entries are currently doubtful for 2025, and under such a scenario, teams fear that their drivers might move out of the respective rosters.
