Tyler Reddick’s playoff hopes took a major blow at Richmond, and for 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin, the pressure is building. Already dealing with legal setbacks off the track, Hamlin now faces the challenge of keeping the No. 45 Toyota in playoff contention.

At the Cook Out 400, Reddick led early but got caught in a mid-race incident when Ty Gibbs was bumped by Daniel Suarez and spun into Reddick, sending him into the SAFER barrier.

“It’s pretty much the worst-case scenario for us when you have a Camry as fast as ours. You need to score the points… So yeah, all in all, it was pretty much the worst-case scenario. Yeah, we can thank Daniel Suarez for that,” Reddick said post-wreck..

However, Suarez expressed that he felt bad for Reddick, “I feel bad for the #45, to begin with,” he said. But for team owner Denny Hamlin, it was not just about the wreck anymore, with prudence on the next race and securing the playoff position.

Truex’s haunting reminder still echoes for Hamlin

Hamlin, reflecting on the significance of Reddick qualifying for the playoffs on the Actions Detrimental podcast, explained the essentials that are required. Also emphasizing what matters more to him as an owner, which is worth losing sleep over. This seemed to start as a warning of the unforgiving playoff format in NASCAR.

Hamlin said, “There is a hypothetical that someone with zero top fives and zero top tens could win a race and eliminate Tyler Reddick or Alex Bowman.” Because NASCAR’s “win-and-in” playoff structure is so close, one unexpected winner has the potential to completely alter the postseason landscape.

Bowman is currently in ninth place, and Reddick is in seventh, both of whom seem to be in a reasonably comfortable position on paper. However, Hamlin emphasized that entry is not guaranteed by points alone. He recalled Martin Truex Jr.’s shocking 2022 elimination. “Just a few years ago, with all the winners we ended up having. Was it Martin Truex Jr that missed the playoffs, being like third in points? Like, holy cow. This is how you know you have to turn around sooner or later,” he added.

Truex, a paragon of consistency with 15 top-10 finishes, finished the regular season fourth in the standings. However, after Austin Dillon’s victory at Daytona guaranteed Ryan Blaney the final berth, leaving Truex three points short, he was eliminated from the playoffs. Truex was one of the most reliable racers and led in stage victories that season, but his loss was tragic.

Tyler Reddick holds a 29-point advantage over Alex Bowman despite being winless, whereas Bowman sits on the playoff bubble and needs to avoid being bumped by a new winner. Everyone else below the cut must win at Daytona to get in. If Bowman gains stage points at Daytona, a track notorious for its chaotic late-race wrecks, the playoff scenario could shift dramatically.

When co-host Jared Allen questioned, “What will cause you to lose more sleep? You may be falling from third or second in the points to finishing sixth after Daytona, or Reddick not making the playoffs?” Hamlin bluntly admitted that Reddick’s not making the playoffs would cost him sleep and keep him awake at night.

That displays the significance of the team’s function for Hamlin and what it means to be an owner. Drawing a completely different area of commitment in the garage, despite being a driver himself on the track. 

Hamlin eyes retirement balance with fishing, golf, and 23XI role

According to Denny Hamlin, his current deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, which expires in 2026, is probably going to be his last one as a driver. Co-owner of 23XI Racing and a 58-time Cup Series race winner, Hamlin is already planning how he will manage his life once he gets off the racetrack.

“I think I just need to see what retirement is like, whether I’m bored or not. I just don’t see myself as someone who is able to go from this crazy world and life that I live with all these things to then just shutting it down to zero. So, I think I need to just feel those first few months out,” Hamlin said last month. 

To further his love of fishing, the 44-year-old recently spent about $75,000 on a Nitro Z20 bass boat. Although Hamlin admits the change will not be easy, it indicates a move toward personal interests. From time on the lake to time on the golf course, retirement will be an experimental process, he remarked. His ownership, however, demonstrates his unwavering dedication to NASCAR. 

“Feel like with 23XI, there’s an opportunity there to be winners of the sport long after I’m done driving. That will take up more time, so I’ll give more time to that. But then, beyond that, I don’t know. I’ll figure out how much golf I can play and how many fish I can catch,” he added.

Hamlin’s comments highlight his doubts regarding his downtime as well as his confidence in 23XI’s long-term prospects. His next chapter may be defined by the way his professional move strikes a balance between his involvement in competition and his interests.