Denny Hamlin on the “Freak Thing” Bubba Wallace & Kurt Busch Nightmare They’re Hoping Is Only “A Little Bump”

“What needs to be done with the 23XI?” This was the question team owner Denny Hamlin was faced with ahead of the race in Martinsville. And as soon as he heard the word, ’23XI’, one could see the expression shift on his face from curiosity to anxiety that comes from frustration.

But who can blame him?

A world-class project assembled by two world-class athletes as owners, with world-class facilities, and importantly, a world-class budget, is underperforming to the level that it will take a few more disappointing results to push the narrative to talks and doubts about the team’s existence as a profitable venture, short and long term both.

Responding to the question after taking a long sigh and shaking his head, the co-owner answered, “I said earlier this week you know, it’s just the win like it was really exciting until you get out of the car and look down the pylon and say, ‘What the f**k? What’s going on?'”

“We’re trying to address all the issues that there is,” Hamlin added.

“(No.) 23 car, the pit crew is not doing well. I’m in a meeting with Joe Gibbs Racing and I thanked them for everything they do for me and I walk out of that meeting into another, and I’m cussing them out because, you know, we’re just not doing a good enough job over there,” he continued. “The freak thing that happens with the (No.) 45, we got a new sponsor over there and the car’s sitting in the garage for a 100 laps.”

“Hopefully we look back on these two months around and say, ‘It’s just a little bump in the road. Because certainly, it’s not acceptable by any means.”

Denny Hamlin couldn’t celebrate his own win because of 23XI Racing

Last week at Richmond, in front of his home fans, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver took his No.11 Camry to the victory lane for the first time in the season, and yet he couldn’t celebrate it the way he would’ve wanted to.

This is because while Denny Hamlin, the racecar driver, had just won a race, Denny Hamlin, the team owner, had to plow through frustrations about yet another disappointing result.

He told former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty after the race, “On days like yesterday, I’m happy for a second, and then I look at the results like ‘WTF?’ You gotta kidding me.'”

“‘It’s frustrating I couldn’t enjoy the win very long.'”

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