The 2021 Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway ended prematurely. As NASCAR was forced to call off the race at Talladega due to rain, Bubba Wallace was announced as the winner that year. As rain showers over Michigan, the looming question arises: if the rain doesn’t stop, will NASCAR have to shorten the race again?

The FireKeepers Casino 400 faced a delay of over one hour and 43 minutes on Sunday morning. However, rain soaked the Michigan Speedway by lap 74, leading NASCAR to postpone the race and reschedule it for Monday at noon. Denny Hamlin sees the potential game-changer in NASCAR if the race at Michigan is shortened, impacting numerous drivers on the track.

With conviction in his voice, Denny Hamlin makes a passionate plea

With only four races left for the playoffs, the competition for securing a spot is intense. Each race holds a vital role for teams, as they must strive to either win or finish in better positions. However, the outcome of a race can be significantly impacted by factors such as the possibility of race shortening, potentially hampering the teams’ strategic plans.

During the Actions Detrimental Podcast, Jared Allen inquired about Denny Hamlin’s team strategy and planning. He asked how the crew chief is building a strategy to handle both the current race situation and the possibility of running the entire race on Tuesday.

Denny Hamlin desperately replied, “I hope NASCAR let. We’re staying here. We stayed here another night. I hope we have a window then. We didn’t get the whole race end. You know there’s a lot on the line certainly with these playoffs spots. Alex Bowman was up front for little while. I think he’s kinda holding field off at bay when he was leading but still, you never know what can happen. Especially, you know, these restarts gonna continue to get crazier and crazier.”

Denny Hamlin was wary of the race being shortened, as it favored Bubba Wallace in 2021. Despite this, 23XI Racing’s owner wholeheartedly backs and applauds his driver’s impressive performance.

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Denny Hamlin wholeheartedly backs Bubba Wallace

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Bubba Wallace showcased promising performances in the 2023 season, but his form took a hit after Charlotte. However, he seems to have found his stride again with decent speed on the track.

Currently, Wallace holds a 58-point lead in the playoff standings, but this doesn’t mean that his spot is non-vulnerable. Nevertheless, Denny Hamlin, the team owner, firmly believed in his drivers and considered them playoff contenders. Ahead of FireKeepers 400 Denny Hanlin said,

“I certainly like where Bubba’s at now, compared to what he was a few weeks ago. I think that team’s really done a good job of you know playing the game, managing the races the proper way and that’s what’s got ’em the points cushion they’ve got. You know it’s still not locked in right, you still want to come out of this racetrack, if he’s got +56, let’s get it to +70, right? You got to keep setting goals, keep expanding this thing to give yourself some buffer going into those last few weeks.”

Only time will tell whether Bubba Wallace will be able to hold his position inside the playoff bubble or not.

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