Denny Hamlin’s Fiancee Jordan Fish Forces JGR Star Out of Driver’s Seat in Surprising Announcement

Denny Hamlin is best known for being a racing driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, we often see him filling in for more roles for his children as well as his fiancee, Jordan Fish. This time around, he’s been forced (or has he?) into an unfamiliar role as a spotter, with the driver’s role being filled by none other than Fish.

While this is a surprising occurrence, the sudden switch in roles is owing to a charity race, the Motor Racing Outreach Better Half Dash. The name of this event is probably a dead giveaway of what to expect. It’s a go-kart race that’ll take place at Trackhouse Racing‘s motorplex in Mooresville, in which the partners of NASCAR drivers compete against each other for 14 laps.

The relationship between a driver and their spotter is paramount. It can make or break a race. One of the most important aspects of a driver-spotter relationship is trust. Considering this is the Better Half Dash, as the ladies get some racing action, who better than the drivers’ partners to act as their eyes and ears? Notably, there’s a fair bit of NASCAR presence, with John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Haley, Bobby Labonte, and Joey Gase’s wives in the running.

As it happens, Jordan Fish will coincidentally pilot a #11 car while Denny Hamlin guides her through the race, but guess what Fish’s winning strategy is? The official page of Better Half Dash shared Jordan Fish’s racing profile, which read, “My Spotter Denny Hamlin,” and surprisingly, the winning strategy column had “Jesus take the wheel!” written beside it. It looks like Hamlin will have to be her spotter as well as strategist now. Or will he?

On the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin’s co-host Jared Allen asked, “Are you going to help coach your better half for the Dash?” The Cup Series #11 driver revealed what he’d do in the race – set to kick off on May 29. Responding to whether or not he would help Fish, he said, “Yeah, I guess so.” However, when it came to being her spotter, he and the Dash’s website had contrasting takes.

“Jordan signed up for the Better Half Dash, so I don’t think I have to spot. That’s good news. I think I saw a thing like, ‘Spotter Denny Hamlin,’ I ain’t spotting no go-kart race. They don’t listen, anyway,” Hamlin said. But it looks like Hamlin did have a prediction! He added, “I think she’s not going to need my help. We’ll go out there, and we’re going to try and practice sometime this week, just kind of generally show her the line around. But then you almost just gotta throw the baby in the water – just let them figure out how to swim, you know what I mean?”

The best part is that Jordan Fish has plenty of time to prepare for the race. As her soon-to-be-husband said, he’ll help her in whatever way he can, and who knows? Maybe they’ll add another trophy to the family’s collection. Hamlin has won 74 trophies across all 3 NASCAR divisions, and Jordan Fish could help make that 75. Surrounded by live music and lots of food trucks, the race is set to be a fun experience. What’s interesting to note is that this isn’t the first time Fish and Hamlin will compete in this event.

Did Denny Hamlin’s partner win the 2014 edition?

Unfortunately, Jordan Fish didn’t triumph in that event, but the grid was fairly star-studded. Aside from Jordan Fish, other participants included Justin Allgaier’s wife, Ashley, Trevor Bayne’s wife, Ashton, and JJ Yeley’s wife, Kristen, who won the race. There was another star participant, and that was none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr’s significant other, Amy. At the time, she was still his girlfriend, and the couple got married in 2015.

During that race, Kristen was right on the ball when she qualified for the pole position. Meanwhile, Fish qualified at the tail end of the Top 10, and old Amy Reimann failed to even qualify, unfortunately. Now, fast-forward to a decade later, and Jordan Fish will be eager for redemption. There’s no doubt that she’ll be hard at work training for this race, as will the other participants.