Although Denny Hamlin is safe in the playoffs, he still has some worries for the last race. His team 23XI Racing is doing quite well with Tyler Reddick into the playoffs, but Bubba Wallace is yet to seal his fate. The Darlington Raceway will be the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE’s last chance at getting into the top 16, and all the pressure is on the team.

Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick had no problem making it into the playoffs, and with Wallace’s last shot at it here, many wonder if he will make it through. Now that we are at the last race of the season, many want to know what is going through Hamlin’s mind.

Denny Hamlin talks about Darlington being the last race

This is the last pre-race interview before the playoffs kick off, and Denny Hamlin is caught in the middle of it. The Darlington Raceway is notorious for its heavy tire degradation, and one wrong move can send drivers into the wall or the apron. It’s a risky race, and Hamlin acknowledges it. During the interview, one interviewer asked Hamlin, “With this now being the cut race or the final race of the regular season, Denny, does that take away anything from it also being the Southern?”

Hamlin already had an answer for his, as he explained, “I hope not. Um, I mean, this is such a tough race and racetrack. You know, it would always—this was always kind of the—I don’t know if it was the third in line of the majors or people saw it that way, but I just think that this is a way tougher race and racetrack than what, like, Charlotte is.” Although the race is shorter than the previous final race before the playoffs, Hamlin believes that Darlington is much more difficult.

This is clearly noticed when Hamlin said, “The 600 miles there is a breeze compared to 500 here at this racetrack. So, um, yeah, I hope not, because this is one of the big ones and certainly one that we focus on.” After listening to Hamlin explain how difficult the race is, the interviewer asked him another question that stated, “Does it make it fitting then, almost, that the toughest track on the schedule is going to set the playoff field?”

For this, Hamlin had his answer ready as he replied, “Yeah, certainly. It’s going to test everyone. And certainly, you know, while you think, ‘Well, everything looks pretty black and white on paper; this person has got this amount of lead or this person’s this far behind,’ it’s going to be too much of a gap.” Denny Hamlin then explained how tire degradation is such an important factor in the race and how most of the cars get lapped during the race toward the end. He remembered how they dominated the race last year, but a loose wheel in the third stage changed the outcome of the race.

Although Denny Hamlin is safe in the playoffs, a driver from the team he co-owns has his last shot. Although Tyler Reddick has made it into the playoffs with two race wins this season, Bubba Wallace is still lagging.

What progress has Denny Hamlin seen in 23XI Racing over the years?

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The interview continued as Hamlin discussed the challenges and opportunities for Bubba Wallace and the 23XI Racing team this season compared to the previous year. Last season, Bubba Wallace made the playoffs as a driver, but the 23 car didn’t make it in the owner standings, which is also important in NASCAR.

Hamlin stated that Bubba is in a similar situation to last year in terms of points, but if Chase Elliott hadn’t missed races earlier in the season, Bubba might be in a tougher spot.

Bubba Wallace is currently the first driver in the dropoff zone, and Hamlin speaks about this in detail. According to Hamlin, being in the top 16 is never enough for a driver to feel safe in the playoffs. He explains that a driver needs to be at least 12th or better to feel “somewhat okay” about the situation. Although Bubba Wallace has been in the top 5 finishes 5 times this year, races like Talladega, Dover, and New Hampshire dropped his overall points into the danger zone.

Now we cannot know what will happen as most of the cars race for the last time this season. Will this be Bubba Wallace’s last Cup Series race for this year? Share your predictions in the comments below.