Denny Hamlin could find himself in quite the dilemma during this Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
With Daytona being the final race before the playoffs begin next month, Bubba Wallace sits right on the cutline in the 16th and final position, 32 points ahead of Ty Gibbs. Wallace, as we know, is the face of 23XI Racing, while Gibbs is the upstart rookie with Joe Gibbs Racing [JGR]. In Wallace’s case, Hamlin is his boss — co-owner of 23XI Racing. Gibbs, meanwhile, is Hamlin’s JGR teammate.
So, what happens if both Wallace and Gibbs are coming off Turn 4 with the checkered flag and a spot in the playoffs in reach with Hamlin behind them? Hamlin went over the possible scenario during his “Actions Detrimental” podcast Monday, saying that if it came down to it, he’d push Wallace past the start-finish line.
“The 23,” Hamlin said. “I own the car, for one. I mean, that’s the biggest factor. By the letter of the law, I probably should be pushing Ty, [but] Ty’s got plenty of years. He’s 20 years old, he’s gonna be in this sport for 20 plus years and he’s gonna win championships. I am financially invested in the 23, I think Bubba has paid his dues and he’s a deserving playoff driver… Saw it last year when he drove the 45 car to a top-10 in points. I just think he’s ready and he deserves a shot at it.
“This is not saying that Ty — Ty has put together a rookie season that needs to be mentioned more. He’s above the curve I thought he was gonna be. I’m really impressed with Ty Gibbs, I mean, he was eating up my back bumper all day yesterday [at Watkins Glen], but if JGR or if anybody at JGR has a problem with me pushing Bubba, we gotta have a talk. 23XI is a big partner at Joe Gibbs Racing. I think that they know where my allegiance would lie with this one.”
Denny Hamlin feels Bubba Wallace deserves opportunity to race for championship
It’s an interesting take from Hamlin, though not one without merit. Wallace, in his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, has steadily been climbing through the ranks in search of his first postseason berth. Gibbs, as Hamlin mentioned, is just 20 years old and will have plenty of more chances to make his name in the Cup Series.
Hamlin doubled-down on his praise of Wallace, feeling that he deserves the chance to race for a championship.
“I’m rooting for Bubba,” Hamlin said. “I want him to run whatever race he needs to run to get himself in the playoffs. I think he deserves it, I think he’s been working really hard. You saw the emotion he had after Watkins Glen. That emotion stems from someone who is working really, really hard and he’s finally seeing results.
“You know what, he finished 12th. But he ran in the top-10 of both stages. Legitimately. It’s been a long damn time — maybe never — has that been the case for Bubba on a road course. So, I wanna give him props, applaud him, pat him on the back. … I’m proud of him. I’m proud of the work he’s putting in. We’ve had a lot of talk and dialogue the night before the race, talking about little things we see. He’s more open to showing humility and wanting to get better.”