Going into the Daytona race on Saturday, a lot was at stake for multiple drivers. This also included drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing. While Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs’s team had to see it out on the track, Denny Hamlin had declared his alliance prior to that. Interestingly, his good friend Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a startling comment about his affiliation.

It is no secret that both Junior and the 23XI co-owner have enjoyed being their unfiltered selves time and time again. However, how both of them go about their business has been different.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. helps Denny Hamlin with his Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs dilemma

The NASCAR Cup Series regular season came to an end at Daytona with 17 drivers hunting for a place in the playoffs prior to the race. In fact, it was set up perfectly for an interesting encounter between Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs’ team, as both Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs were close to booking a place in the final 16.

In the buildup to the race, Denny Hamlin was asked a tricky question If he had to choose between supporting Bubba Wallace or Ty Gibbs on the track, which would he go ahead and help?

At first, Hamlin tried to be diplomatic. He said, “I have said from the very beginning, that 11 car always comes first, I have never compromised any of my on-track positions for the race team I own.“

Hamlin continued, “Certainly, it’s important to be a good leader for the team that I own, it’s also important to be a good teammate.” 

However, he couldn’t help but eventually take a specific side. He said, “Therefore, I am gonna work with both of them equally, but right now if I had to choose between them side by side upon the line 00.1 chance that happens, then obviously I probably lean to the 23 side”

While this was a massive blow for Joe Gibbs, Michael Jordan would certainly have been pleased to hear this. The latter’s partner has been guilty of contradicting himself on a number of occasions, but in this case, Denny Hamlin looked pretty clear with his approach. Luckily, in this case, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sided with him.

READ MORE – “Going to Ford?” – NASCAR Insiders Fear Joe Gibbs Will Force Denny Hamlin to Do the Unthinkable

During the Daytona race, Junior was commentating for NBC. It was then that he revealed that even he would have supported his own team rather than the team he drove for. However, he had a simple message for Denny Hamlin. Dale Jr. said, “The difference with me is I probably wouldn’t have said it publicly”.

It is interesting how the No. 11 Toyota Camry driver and Junior are on the same page for this. More importantly, how does this affect the contract negotiations between the former and JGR? Hamlin provided an update to it too.

Denny Hamlin reveals the ongoing scenario about his JGR contract negotiations

There is no doubt that a lot of anxiety is created with Denny Hamlin still not able to sign a new contract with Joe Gibbs Racing. Given how the negotiations have been prolonged, many have feared an outcome similar to Kyle Busch’s last year. However, with Hamlin’s recent comments, things are a bit more clear now.

Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the 42-year-old said, “It’s business. Certainly, I have to always look out for the long-term viability of 23XI…Again, the relationship with us, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Toyota has been really strong for our first 3 years.

And certainly, all parties would like to continue that.

“But you know, there’s a lot of paperwork and red tape that you gotta go through to make sure that happens.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin’s Provocation Causes Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Team to Face Financial Losses

While Denny Hamlin provided an ambiguous update, things can only be confirmed once the contract is signed. Do you think there is more drama left in this contract saga? Let us know in the comments below.