It was a dream come true for Denny Hamlin. The veteran racer has never won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he did experience that winning feeling after Bubba Wallace broke his 100-race winless streak. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver already has four wins this season, including the recent race in Dover, and was one of the favorites going into the Brickyard 400. And while a third-place finish is a pretty decent outcome, Hamlin wasn’t going to miss out on the celebrations when the checkered flag was waved.
While some may think situations like these are a ‘conflict of interest,’ Hamlin remains unconcerned. He, along with the rest of the No. 23 crew, happily kissed the bricks at Indianapolis, even though the Virginia-native admitted afterwards, “I obviously wish I was doing it with my 11 team.”
Denny Hamlin is making every moment count
The clock is ticking for Denny Hamlin. The veteran racer recently signed a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing, which will see him compete for the No. 11 team through the 2027 season. He has competed at the highest level for two decades, yet a championship trophy and a win at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway have continued to elude him. Well, at least he has ticked off one of those boxes at the 2025 Brickyard 400, even though it’s not exactly what he had planned going into the weekend. But in some ways, winning as a team owner is much more gratifying.
Revealing why he kissed the bricks despite being an active driver, Denny Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast, “I’m into superstition a little bit, but not that much. Not to where I’m going to keep myself from enjoying the moment as a team owner. I don’t want to, ‘Well, I don’t want, because I’m still driving, I might have a chance.’ Well, I don’t know if my team will have another opportunity to win that either. So, I’m just going to take that advantage when I can get it.”
Hamlin and Michael Jordan launched 23XI back in 2020, and Bubba Wallace was the first driver they signed for the team. The Alabama-native has gone on to secure three wins since then, but the win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was arguably his biggest one yet. And given the circumstances surrounding the ongoing lawsuit battle and their charters being revoked, Hamlin wasn’t going to let go of the opportunity to celebrate the result, even if it raised eyebrows in the NASCAR community.
“I’ll take every opportunity I can,” he said, adding “When those guys go out there and they get trophies, I make sure I get my own, treat it as my own because I can assure you it’s much harder to win as a team owner than it is a driver.” With retirement rumors swirling about, it’s the kind of celebrations Denny Hamlin might need to get used to, especially if he closes the curtains on his illustrious career a few years down the line. The veteran racer will eventually transition to a full-time ownership role, and he’s already prepping himself up for it by celebrating Bubba Wallace’s win like his own. Because they are.
Hamlin feels invested in 23XI Racing’s success
Denny Hamlin knows a thing or two about living life in the fast lane. After all, he’s been a full-time Cup Series racer since 2006, dominating the stock car racing world across different eras after seeing plenty of legendary drivers come and go. And while he has 58 triumphs at the highest level, winning as a team owner feels different. 23XI Racing is a team he has built from the ground up, investing blood, sweat, and tears to make it a winning outfit after years of struggle.
Sharing his thoughts about owning a Cup Series team, Hamlin said, “Building a team from scratch is a huge undertaking. So I just, you feel more gratification because I had my hand in every little piece of that race team, from the branding, to the sponsorship, to the competition, to the everything. So that’s why parents always feel much prouder when their kids accomplish something more than they do.”
That might go on to explain Denny Hamlin kissing the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And as for the No. 11 team, a third-place finish isn’t anything to scoff at. Considering the Virginia-native’s poor track record at the Brickyard, finishing on the podium in a backup car is a pretty good outcome under the circumstances, especially after the season he has had. It looks like 2025 could be Hamlin’s year, whether as a driver or a team owner remains to be seen.
The post “I’m Into Superstition…” – Denny Hamlin Explains Reasons Behind Kissing the Bricks at IMS appeared first on EssentiallySports.
