Denny Hamlin's longtime partner, Jordan Fish, is still expecting the couple's third child, a baby boy who is now a week overdue, and after still being able to compete at Nashville Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway despite being on "baby watch", Hamlin may have to sit out this coming weekend.
The NASCAR Cup Series is set to make its first ever trip to Mexico for the Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass has reported that, if Hamlin's first son still hasn't arrived before the weekend, he is willing to stay home.
According to Pockrass, "Hamlin indicated he would be willing to stay home if Fish has not given birth by the weekend", citing the fact that it's a "much longer flight from there than it would have been from Michigan to his North Carolina home".
Denny Hamlin has not missed a NASCAR Cup Series start since 2014.
Hamlin has been on fire since his "baby watch" began two weekend ago. He qualified second at Nashville, finished third, and then qualified third at Michigan and won. He added six playoff points over this two-race stretch and now sits second in that category, behind only Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson, and third in the point standings, behind only Larson and teammate William Byron.
Ryan Truex, who serves as a reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, has been named Hamlin's would-be replacement the past two race weekends, so assuming he too travels to Mexico, that should remain the case for Sunday's Viva Mexico 250. Truex has not competed in the Cup Series since 2014.
Even under NASCAR's new guidelines, there is no doubt that Hamlin would be granted a playoff waiver by NASCAR if he is forced to sit out, since the birth of a child is considered a medical reason for missing a start.
This effectively means that the only downside of a missed start is scoring no points during the weekend. Hamlin would not lose his playoff eligibility, which he has earned thanks to his three wins this year, nor would he lose the 18 playoff points he has earned this season by winning those three races and three stages.
His 18 playoff points rank second in the series. If the playoffs started today, he would also score an addition eight for being third in the standings, putting him at 26. This projected tally ranks third in the series.
Amazon Prime Video is set to provide live coverage of the Viva Mexico 250 from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 15.