23XI Owner Denny Hamlin Recalls Kurt Busch Disaster While Envisioning Bubba Wallace in Chase Elliott’s Shoes – “Sucks For the Team”

Injuries are an unfortunate reality in motorsports, but they can be especially painful for team owners who invest millions into their racing operations. Denny Hamlin, a successful NASCAR driver and co-owner of the 23XI Racing team, recently spoke about the financial implications of injuries and how they affect the entire team.

In the recent episode of his podcast ‘Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin’, Hamlin shared his thoughts on how he would react if one of his drivers, Bubba Wallace or Tyler Reddick, were to suffer an injury that would keep them out of action for an extended period of time.

Denny Hamlin’s perspective on how he would he feel about it, as an owner vs as a driver?

The question stemmed from the recent injury sustained by Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, who fractured his tibia while snowboarding in Colorado. When asked if he would feel differently as an owner compared to a driver, Hamlin responded by saying, “As an owner, I couldn’t help but say ‘D*mn it.’ You know, I felt it last year. You know, Kurt was out.”

By “last year” Hamlin is referring to Kurt Busch‘s absence from the NASCAR Playoffs due to a concussion he suffered at Pocono in 2022, which caused him to be sidelined for several months.

Besides injuries, he also talks about controversies that affect the team. Hamlin said, “and then you have the Bubba thing, right? That he got taken out. So, its just… it sucks for the race team, right? It really does.”  

Here he refers to the time when Bubba Wallace was suspended from the NASCAR Cup Series Championship event in 2022 that followed a weekend crash after he gave Kyle Larson a firm shove in the aftermath.

Read More: “You Better Pay Attention” – Denny Hamlin Sends Stern Warning to Competitors as He Teases “Game Changer” Upgrades for JGR

He continued by saying, “If it was tied to the driver, I guarantee… every team would have a… ‘You better be at your house and living room sittin’ on the couch’ because the financial implications of us tying what we get paid out on the charter to the driver would be… it’s just too much of a risk.”

How HMS had responded to Elliott’s injury and why Denny Hamlin’s statement makes sense?

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It goes without saying that Elliott’s injury forced Hendrick Motorsports to look for replacements, and Hamlin acknowledged how unfortunate it was for the team. Taking over for Elliott in this past Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Josh Berry slid behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, Elliott’s anticipated absence of six races has been revealed, leaving Berry to fill the driver’s seat for the upcoming oval races. In the meantime, the team has enlisted Jordan Taylor to take the reins for the road course race at Circuit of The Americas on March 26th.

“But with the charter system and us racing for owner’s points, and that’s how you kinda get into the money really, when it comes to the point standing is through the car and not the driver, that’s the security we need as owners, right?” said Hamlin.

Hamlin’s comments highlight the financial risks that come with owning a NASCAR team, where teams earn points based on their car’s performance rather than the driver’s. This system provides some security for team owners, as they can still earn points even if their driver is unable to compete. However, if points were tied to the driver, the risk of losing out on financial rewards due to injury would be too great. And hence, HMS had to take an action.

WATCH THIS STORY: “Such a Detrimental Performance”—Denny Hamlin Reveals the Ugly “Mess” Bubba Wallace Got Caught Up In

As a team owner, Hamlin understands the financial risks involved in motorsports and how injuries can impact not just the driver, but the entire team.