WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.—Denny Hamlin offered no update in the 23XI Racing charter standoff with NASCAR.
On Sunday, Hamlin, a man of many hats—and helmets—faces a more immediate challenge in the first round of the Cup Playoffs at Watkins Glen.
Following a miserable 24th-place showing last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the first race of the postseason, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing now sits 11th in the Playoff standings just two points above the bubble.
Although Hamlin was complimentary of the changes with the curbing to the 2.45-mile circuit and Goodyear’s new tire combination for the Go Bowling at The Glen, qualifying didn’t go as expected for the 42-year-old racer.
“Just didn’t do a good job hitting my marks, that was really it,” said Hamlin, who starts 22nd. “The field is just so close. A tenth would have put us moving on into the next round and I blew two corners, big time. Just didn’t execute my job.”
At a crucial time in the round, at a circuit where track position is everything, Hamlin finds himself starting mid-pack and pitting in stall 29, six boxes behind the start-finish line and sandwiched between Todd Gilliland and fellow Playoff driver Harrison Burton.
Not surprisingly, the well-earned confidence Hamlin exhibited earlier in the season wasn’t as evident on Saturday. But he remains “hyper-focused.”
“We’re going to try and get the best finish we can—that’s all we can do,” Hamlin said. “We can’t control others. Certainly, not the qualifying spot that I was hoping for. But you just never know how these races will turn out. Hopefully, it turns out good in our favor.
“Our car was pretty decent in that second (practice) session. We have something that can contend as long as I keep it going.”
Despite starting 22nd, Hamlin says it’s not out of the question to acquire the much needed stage points to bolster his standing. While a sizable fall-off is expected with a new tire provided by Goodyear, he believes it’s possible to cut through the field in the first 20 laps.
“I’ve got to get a good first-lap restart—maybe get three or four (spots) there,” Hamlin said. “Then you see who jumps the stages and who doesn’t. The tires will last that long (through Stage 1) but I think after 15 laps, if you can wear them out, you can have cars really off the pace.
“It’s not impossible, but certainly not as easy as if I would have started in the top 10.”
As the defending winner of the last two races at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hamlin’s focus will jump to Thunder Valley come Monday. But can Hamlin amass enough of a points cushion entering the bullring to elevate his comfort level?
“I go to Bristol and know I can win,” Hamlin said. “There’s no points formula for where I’m at right now. You just don’t know. The cars that didn’t have full-season speed between this type of track and Atlanta, this is their opportunity to pounce on teams like myself that are not getting the finishes we need.
“When we go to Bristol, it usually works itself out. I just hope we still have a shot.”
Still, without a solid points day at Watkins Glen—or fellow Playoff drivers experiencing catastrophic results—Hamlin will have to place all of his eggs in the Bristol basket to advance to the Round of 12 or risk being the Joey Logano of the 2024 postseason.
“Certainly, I don’t love where I’m at, that’s a given,” Hamlin said with a laugh. “But I still believe if I do the best I can (on Sunday), if I do the best I can at Bristol, it will still work itself out. But if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
“My number one goal is to get to a win total and I still have plenty of races to do that. I going to try and win at least two races in this Playoffs and hopefully they count towards something when I do.”
As for a solution to the 23XI charter situation, Hamlin wasn’t sure “where it really goes from here” but insists they will “figure it out.”
But between last Friday’s deadline and Saturday at Watkins Glen, he had had no conversation with the sanctioning body. As a consequence of the unsigned charter agreements at 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, negotiations of existing driver and future driver contracts appear to be in limbo.
Last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, just hours after 23XI Racing principals elected not to sign, Bubba Wallace said his contract negotiations are going “hand-in-hand with the charter agreements.”
“It’s frustrating to see where we’re at because that impacts my life, my livelihood and everything moving forward with my future,” Wallace said.
Regardless of 23XI Racing’s charter status, Hamlin told catchfence.com that Wallace’s future is secure. That’s one thing he’s not worried about.
“We’re racing, no matter what,” Hamlin said. “We’ve invested a ton in this sport to make sure that we put ourselves in a position to be successful, our drivers to be successful. Certainly, Bubba is someone we see that will be part of our future for a long time.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
