Denny Hamlin Comes Clean After Backlash To His Involvement in the NASCAR Driver’s Council

Recently, the NASCAR Cup Series driver formed a Drivers Advisory Council which would represent drivers in the matters of safety and enhancing the sport as a whole. The drivers that were part of the council headed by Jeff Burton were Kurt Busch, Corey LaJoie, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Petty, Austin Dillon, and Denny Hamlin.

However, one fan naturally wondered – Why is Denny Hamlin on this council?

This is because the Joe Gibbs Racing man isn’t only a driver, but also a part-owner of the 23XI Racing team alongside Michael Jordan.

Journalist Bob Pockrass explained in a reply, “Yes. I thought the same thing — how can Hamlin as a car owner be both a member of the RTA and on the board of the drivers council. Have a story coming but Jeff Burton said they feel having Denny on the board is valuable because he has that owner perspective.”

And later, Denny Hamlin made things clear as he replied, “The drivers and the teams align 95% of the time. When that 5% is in play I will step aside on those issues.”

“One thing is for sure. ALL parties have 1 common goal and that is to GROW the sport.”

Denny Hamlin has a simple mantra as an owner as team expands

After the 2021 season in which the 23XI Racing team only fielded one car with Bubba Wallace, the Hamlin-Jordan owned outfit decided to expand in 2022. They signed Kurt Busch as their second driver and brought in a whole list of experienced and talented professionals.

Heading into his second season as an owner, Hamlin revealed things are “really fun” at this moment. “I really like the direction that we’re heading in,” he said.

As for how he is dealing with the increasing size of his team, and his responsibilities, he said, “Like any business, workforce is a little bit of a struggle right now. Just making sure that you’ve got the truckers and things like that.”

“It’s just making sure that you’re keeping those people that you have and you’re keeping them happy.”

Also Read: Why Did NASCAR Fine Denny Hamlin Back in 2013?