CHICAGO— Denny Hamlin has won NASCAR’s Triple Crown.
Along with his collection of Harley J. Earl trophies for winning three Daytona 500s, Hamlin’s trophy case includes hardware from two Southern 500s and last year’s Coca-Cola 600.
Yet after winning the pole for the Grant Park 220, Hamlin said a victory at the Chicago Street Course on Sunday would rank among the top accomplishments of his career.
The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota isn’t easily impressed. After all, Hamlin has spent the last two decades racing for NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. His business partner and co-owner of his race team—23XI Racing—is none other than NBA GOAT Michael Jordan.
But Hamlin entered this weekend knowing this event would be different.
“Just going into a race that obviously has got a ton of hype and has a ton of eyes looking at this race,” said Hamlin, who topped time trials with a lap of 88.435 seconds. “Just the overall performance of our team today. From lap one of practice to the last lap of qualifying just having been strong on a track that is really tough, and everyone had to learn it at the same rate of speed.
“No one has got a veteran advantage at this type of race track. So, it’s just a proud moment for our team to be able to come here on equal footing with everyone and be able to perform as good as they did today.”
Hamlin’s driver Tyler Reddick, nicknamed “Road Course Jesus” by 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace, was second the second fastest driver with a time of 88.479. Three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergen was third quick in his NASCAR Cup debut, followed by Christopher Bell and Daniel Suarez. The fastest Blue Oval racer was former road course driving instructor Michael McDowell, who was sixth on the speed chart.
Despite winning his 39th Cup pole—and third of the season—Hamlin had more in the tank.
“Again, I’ve never felt like I’ve had more speed in reserve than what I did today,” Hamlin said. “I just knew that I can go get that. ‘Do you want me to run four-tenths faster?’ Just areas I can go and get that.
“Now, there’s risks with that. I think in the race I’m just going to have to back it down slightly to take away 20 to 30 percent of risk. You’re going to have to be a half second slower a lap, but you’re going to take away the risk of making a huge mistake. And I feel like when you have a car that’s as fast as mine, I’m able to back that up and still run a fast enough pace.”
With rain in the forecast, the odds favor road course ringers Van Gisbergen and Jenson Button, both of whom have extensive experience racing on streets in the rain—something NASCAR had never tried in 75 years prior to this weekend. Hamlin is well aware of the precision in which the two champions attack the turns. While the driver felt comfortable on the track and in the simulator, rain presents a completely new challenge.
“I was a little pessimistic today coming in, just thinking can I correlate what I’ve been practicing to the real thing,” Hamlin said. “Certainly, in the rain I don’t feel quite as confident. We’ve all got to do it, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Hamlin’s admiration for Jordan started at a young age. At 42, he has a better appreciation for Jordan’s contribution to sports, especially in the Windy City where No. 23 revitalized the Chicago Bulls during his six-title run.
What would it mean to Jordan if Hamlin or one of the 23XI Racing drivers won on Sunday?
“He’s pumped up whether we’re performing well at North Wilkesboro or we’re here in Chicago, honestly,” Hamlin said. “It is a big city for him. He’s obviously done a lot for this city and this city did a ton for him. Having 23XI night at the Cubs game (Thursday) was big. Just the fanfare that the 23XI team has got from the unveiling of the car.
“Social outlets that don’t normally cover anything about racing because it’s about something else are paying attention to that. That’s how you grow the sport. And Michael (Jordan) is really proud of the growth that they’ve got and the speed they’ve got in such a short amount of time that the team has been around. For me, personally, it would have to be a top five win for me if we were able to do it.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
