Denny Hamlin’s 2025 campaign has been nothing short of dominant, reaffirming his status as one of NASCAR’s enduring elites. Through 15 races in this season, Hamlin had been a force to be reckoned with, claiming three wins at Martinsville, Darlington, and Michigan, and entering this weekend at Pocono firmly in 3rd place in the standings. Hamlin’s win at Michigan was particularly notable as it came in his 700th career Cup start, solidifying his place in the sport’s elite and proving that experience and tenacity are still his calling cards.

But just as NASCAR prepared for its first-ever Cup race in Mexico City, Hamlin made the difficult decision to skip the event and remain in North Carolina for the birth of his and fiancée Jordan Fish’s 3rd child. Jordan had reached two weeks past her due date, and the couple faced a tense baby watch period heading into the weekend. Rather than risk missing the birth, Hamlin prioritized being present during the final stages of her labor, a move praised by peers and fans alike and one that saw veteran Ryan Truex step in for him at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. But the revelation came just some time ahead of the Pocono race, which Hamlin promised to attend.

Denny Hamlin puts family first as NASCAR supports his absence

In a pre-race interview before Pocono’s The Great American Getaway 400 race, Hamlin recalled the day before he announced skipping the Mexico race, “I had planned all along to as long as he comes before Thursday, I was going to go to the weekend as scheduled. But the labor was tremendous, and we knew that we were going to have to be there longer than normal,” said Hamlin.

Although the baby had been due for over 2 weeks, the Hamlin family had been trying their best to induce labor so as not to get it entangled with Denny Hamlin‘s race weekend. But during the Mexico City race, since the stakes were high on both ends, Hamlin took the right and best path ahead. “So at that point, right away, I said, there’s just no way I can leave in the next 36 hours, that’s what I needed to go there and do the job correctly,” continued Hamlin. The 36-hour period was crucial not just for emotional support, but to ensure his role as a father was fulfilled properly. The logistics of traveling internationally, including 12+ hours of transit and recovery time, made it virtually impossible to leave without compensating for his familial responsibilities and professional readiness.

The timing indeed couldn’t have been more inconvenient. Mexico City’s elevation of over 7,300 feet introduced additional concerns for many teams, with drivers and pit crews alike having to adapt quickly to unfamiliar conditions. Teams struggled with brake wear, fuel calculations, and engine cooling in thin air, a scenario that could’ve punished any driver not 100% physically and mentally present. Even powerhouse organizations like Hendrick Motorsports and 23XI Racing dealt with unexpected handling issues throughout the weekend, and for Hamlin, who thrives on detail and preparation, arriving late in such conditions would’ve been a disservice to both his team and his performance standards.

“Truthfully, too, if we were racing at Darlington, I’d be there for race day,” said Hamlin. “But it’s just the logistics, it just was bad timing from that standpoint. And so I think that had it been something local, probably still would have made it. But just the logistics and knowing that you got 12 hours of logistics just to get there just didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, especially knowing that those few days after are pretty fragile times where I can’t just hop back in the plane and go back.”

In Hamlin’s absence, Ryan Truex stepped in to pilot the #11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite not having a Cup start since 2023, Truex put in a respectable run on short notice, finishing 23rd after staying out of trouble and executing a consistent pace throughout the race. While skipping a marquee race raised eyebrows, Hamlin’s transparency and the respect he showed for both his family and team earned widespread support. With his playoff waiver secured and 3 wins already under his belt, Hamlin remains in strong contention for a title run. But for now, the win that mattered most came not with a checkered flag, but with the gift of fatherhood.

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Denny Hamlin explains how mentors inspired his son’s name

Fans know him simply as Denny Hamlin, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and co-owner of 23XI Racing, who has built his career on bold moves and elite finishes. But off the track, the man behind the helmet, also known as James Dennis Alan Hamlin, embraced a personal victory with the birth of his 3rd child, a baby boy named Jameson Drew Hamlin. He discussed this choice during a pre-race media interview at Pocono.

“So the name, obviously, I’m James. So that’s James’s son, Jameson, and Drew, we wanted to keep JD, because obviously JD Gibbs is a big, big part of my getting here to the Cup Series,” said Hamlin. JD Gibbs not only believed in Hamlin’s talent early on but also gave him the opportunity to race at the top level, making the tribute both heartfelt and fitting. “James Dean was the car owner I drove for in late models that got me the equipment to win all those races, to get seen by JD. I’m JD, and so we’re just keeping it going.”

It started in the early 2000s when JD Gibbs, then co-chairman of Joe Gibbs Racing, spotted Hamlin’s raw talent during a late-model test at Hickory Speedway. As Joe Gibbs remembers it, Hamlin might have had some equipment to sell when he and J.D. crossed paths, but it was enough that J.D. wanted to put Hamlin in a stock car and test him. “It essentially got me my job in the No. 20 car,” Hamlin said. “I remember going there for the very first time: Tony Stewart was there in a Cup Series car, and I was there in the Xfinity Series car, and back then, if you wanted to go somewhere and test, you just went and tested.”

And that’s how the legacy began, as now Hamlin wants it to continue even further, especially with a new addition to NASCAR’s racing future, so that the name is forever remembered, a glimpse of greatness that helped seal Hamlin’s path to the Cup Series and beyond.