Nashville 2024 was a race Denny Hamlin will never forget. With heat waves rising off the track and tempers flaring in the pit boxes, Hamlin had everything lined up for a win. The veteran racer had just passed Ross Chastain late in the race and looked set to claim a hard-fought victory. He outmaneuvered the best of the field, dodged wrecks, and managed his fuel with razor-sharp precision. However, when the race extended beyond 300 laps due to record cautions and overtime, chaos ensued.
“I got the restarts I wanted each time, but just didn’t have enough fuel in the tank. I was 15 seconds away from a win…when Austin Cindric spun, and then 10 seconds away, a few cautions after that. So, it’s just, I don’t know, unlucky,” Hamlin said, recalling the heartbreak. The 2024 Ally 400 became one of the wildest races in recent memory. Rain delays, 16 cautions, and desperate fuel strategies wrecked many race plans. And this was the race that tilted the scales in Joey Logano’s favor, which led to his third Cup Series championship.
Despite reading the race perfectly, he couldn’t control fate. And that’s why 2025 was supposed to be different. This week, Hamlin returns to Nashville with unfinished business. He’s been dreaming of redemption ever since that fateful Sunday last year. But as the race nears, life off the track is pulling him in another direction. With the birth of his first son expected any moment, his priorities could shift in an instant. Joe Gibbs Racing knows this. That’s why they’ve named a surprise backup, preparing for the possibility that Hamlin might have to step aside.
Joe Gibbs reveals the backup plan for Denny Hamlin!
Last year, Denny Hamlin made headlines both on and off the track. Just before the Kansas race, he revealed the family was growing again. “I had to have it. Man, just too many women in the house. Between everyone, just being the only male in the house, other than my dog, I might have had to tap out if we had one more girl,” he said, grinning. With two daughters already, the news of a baby boy was a relief. The announcement, complete with blue Air Jordans, made waves across social media during a gender reveal.
Now, with the due date right around the Nashville race, Hamlin faces a decision most racers hope they never have to make. Be there for one of the best races of the season or be there to welcome his son into the world. However, Hamlin is officially on baby watch. His No. 11 team remains ready for race day, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be behind the wheel. Joe Gibbs Racing has called in Ryan Truex as the stand-in. According to NBC Sports’ Dustin Long, Truex will be on-site in Nashville all weekend, ready to suit up if the call comes.
#NASCAR … Ryan Truex will be here at Nashville with Denny Hamlin on baby watch. … the 11 team was scheduled to do the Iowa tire test next week but teammate Chase Briscoe will do it now.
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) May 31, 2025
Meanwhile, Hamlin keeps his focus on the delivery. Earlier this year, when someone asked if he would skip a race like the Coca-Cola 600 for the birth of his baby son, he replied, “Yeah, of course.” If the baby arrives on race day, Truex will take over the No. 11 Toyota. He handles pressure well. Since 2023, he has made 18 Xfinity Series starts and won three times, including two victories this year. Although he hasn’t competed in a Cup Series race since 2014, he continues to stay sharp by actively testing the Next Gen car for Toyota.
Notably, Hamlin has even stepped away from next week’s Iowa tire test, confirming his full commitment to his family. Chase Briscoe will take that responsibility in his absence for Toyota. Fortunately for Hamlin, NASCAR’s updated rules work in his favor. If he misses the race for the birth of his child, he’ll receive a medical waiver. This ensures he won’t lose playoff eligibility. With multiple wins already under his belt, he has locked his place in the playoffs as well.
So, missing a race won’t affect his championship hopes much, and giving priority to family highlights his commitments. As the focus shifts to Hamlin’s race-weekend status, there’s also buzz around another familiar face, Ross Chastain. He and Hamlin shared tense moments at Nashville last year and again at Charlotte just weeks ago. So, now Chastain has revealed his relationship details with the JGR driver.
Ross Chastain on His Rivalry with Hamlin
Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin have history, and not the friendly kind. The two Cup drivers have clashed more than once, most recently during the Coca-Cola 600. Chastain won the race after a hard-fought duel, while Hamlin faded due to a fuel mishap. But the tension between them goes back much further. One major flash point came at Talladega this past April. Chastain threw a heavy block that left Hamlin fuming.
Afterwards, Hamlin didn’t hold back, calling it “bulls— racing” and accusing Chastain of trying to wreck the field. The rivalry seemed to boil over, but Chastain has a different view. On the “Hauler Talk” podcast, Chastain addressed the relationship. “We’re in a good place, we are. We’re not friends, I don’t see him, I don’t talk to him, we just are competitors, and I love that. I love that a guy of his caliber is out there for me to try and go beat. And he’s beaten me a whole lot more than I’ve ever outrun him, but this time we were able to pass him,” he said.
It’s not a friendship, but there’s mutual respect. Both drivers want the same thing: wins, championships, and an edge over each other. Nashville could be their next showdown… if Hamlin makes the start. If not, the rivalry hits pause, and Chastain will take on whoever steps into that No. 11 car. And with a confidence booster win at Charlotte, he would be looking for some more melons in Nashville.
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