23XI Racing Ace Could Be the Biggest Roadblock for Team Owner Denny Hamlin’s Texas Hopes

Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin is off to a flying start to his Cup Series campaign. After eight races, the veteran driver has clinched two victories and is now eyeing to add more to his bag with this weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin has been consistently putting up good runs on the 1.5-mile oval intermediate race track, but victory lane has eluded him in the past few seasons.

Given the solid start to the season and a good track record at Texas, Hamlin does enter the weekend as one of the frontrunners to win the race. While it is expected that the likes of William Byron and Kyle Larson would prove to be a thorn in his side, he will also have a hard time dealing with Tyler Reddick from his very own NASCAR team. But how does Reddick hinder his boss’s aspiration in Texas? Let us figure it out.

Denny Hamlin will have stiff competition from Reddick in Texas

Hamlin’s No. 11 team isn’t the only Toyota team performing well this season. 23XI has been pretty solid with their two rides. Both teams, No. 23 and No. 45, finished inside the top 10 at Martinsville. Going into Texas race weekend, Reddick himself will be banking on his good track record at the track, also looking to repeat his winning heroics from the 2022 season.

Hamlin has better results compared to his driver but has yet to deliver a win since 2019. Moreover, Reddick has been to victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway in the Xfinity Series once, along with two runner-up finishes. While it might seem like a long shot to consider the 23XI driver to be in contention for the win, the numbers and his streak of good performances make a case for him too.

Hamlin this season, apart from the short-track events, has been just decent, nothing special. So with the mile and a half race on the cards, Reddick might fancy his chances for the win. It’s worth noting that in the last six starts, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota Camry has three top-10 and two top-five finishes. Further solidifying his case as a contender to win the event.

While we are comparing the two Toyota drivers, let us also take a look at other notable drivers who are in contention for winning this weekend.

Front runners to win the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 race

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Having already taken Hamlin and Reddick into account, here are the other prominent drivers in the running for the win this weekend. Starting off, we have Kyle Larson from HMS. He won earlier this season at Las Vegas and finished as a runner-up this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway. He is one of the most consistently performing drivers this season, and something similar will be expected from him this weekend.

Moving on, we have yet another surprising pick, Ryan Blaney. The Penske driver has had a run of consistent performances and is eyeing his first win of the season. He does have two top-ten finishes out of his last three starts at the venue. Also, he is the only Ford driver placed inside the top 10 points standings, so he is the best bet for the Ford stable.

Joey Logano is another Ford driver who is among the top contenders to win this weekend. The Penske star is a consistent performer on the intermediate oval tracks, and Texas does provide him the opportunity to get his breakthrough moment of the season. With a runner-up finish at Richmond and a sixth-place finish at Martinsville, he has picked up the momentum that could result in a win this Sunday.

Who are you backing for this Sunday’s race at the Texas Motor Speedway? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below.