NASCAR: Does Denny Hamlin race his own drivers differently?

Denny Hamlin is in a unique position where he has to compete against two cars he owns in the NASCAR Cup Series. Does he race them differently?

Late in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin confirmed that he would enter the 2021 season as a team owner, in addition to his role as a full-time driver.

Two years ago yesterday, he and NBA legend Michael Jordan joined forces to form 23XI Racing (named at a later date), and they announced a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.

They purchased a charter from Germain Racing and confirmed Bubba Wallace as the driver of the #23 Toyota for 2021. Wallace was in his third season with Richard Petty Motorsports at the time.

Hamlin was adamant from the start that he wanted 23XI Racing to expand to two cars, and they were able to do that for 2022. Last summer, they announced Kurt Busch, who was in his third season with Chip Ganassi Racing at the time, as the driver of their new #45 Toyota.

So Hamlin finds himself in a unique position: he competes against his own drivers on a weekly basis.

But does he race them any differently than he races anyone else?

No, but also, yes.

“I race them like I race anyone else,” Hamlin told Beyond the Flag in an interview conducted earlier this season. “I mean, do you try to cut a break to them and let them in on a restart or something? Yes. If it’s not a detriment to you, then you try to help.

“But if I’m going to win the race, which that’s my goal and them to finish in second and third, I have to do everything I can and take every advantage I can on the track.”

He noted that there really hasn’t been any conflict so far, and that doesn’t come as much of a surprise. With Hamlin driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing having close ties with 23XI Racing, it’s not as if the team he owns is a rival team to the team for which he competes.

“There hasn’t really been any conflict,” he continued. “We’ve worked well together. We consider ourselves Toyota teammates with the JGR cars, so it’s been a very, very good working relationship so far.”

Busch has unfortunately been sidelined since July with concussion-like symptoms he suffered after a qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway.

Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series driver Ty Gibbs filled in for him for several races behind the wheel of the #45 Toyota, though a strategic move has since seen Gibbs move to Wallace’s #23 Toyota for the playoffs, with Wallace shifting over to the #45 Toyota.

Wallace ended up winning in just his second start behind the wheel of the #45 Toyota at Kansas Speedway earlier this month.

Who finished in second place? Hamlin.

Wallace himself has previously spoken to us about the fact that he does not race his team owner any differently either.

“Nope!” he stated. “No, we had talked about that before. They’re out there trying to get a win. … and we’ll do anything that it takes. Obviously [we are] respectful of each other and watch what’s going on. So yeah; we just gotta keep it going.”