To a familiar mixture of cheers and boos, Denny Hamlin climbed onto his No. 11 Toyota’s doorsill and unfurled a blue flag emblazoned with “11 Against The World.”
Waving it at the Martinsville Speedway crowd, Hamlin seemed to be celebrating his 55th Cup Series victory on Sunday while also taunting those who thought he was done winning on NASCAR’s premier circuit.
“That’s me,” he said, adding that if he can't trash talk it takes away his superpower. "I’m not nearly as good. My friends, it drives them absolutely crazy. It fuels me and it just makes me feel good. ... I love when someone says I can’t do it, going out there and doing it.”
For Hamlin, the triumphs often come amid turbulence, and the adversity (some self-induced) has been plentiful lately.
He and 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan are embroiled in a lawsuit against NASCAR that has dragged on for six months and might remain unresolved through the end of the year.
His team started the season hunting for a primary sponsor to replace FedEx, which left after 20 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing.
And the victory at Martinsville (the Virginia track a few hours west of his hometown of Chesterfield, a Richmond suburb) snapped two long droughts for Hamlin — a 31-race skid without a victory and a 10-year winless streak at the 0.526-mile oval where his six wins are more than any active Cup driver.
Tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for 11th on the all-time win list won’t solve his legal battles. But the self-proclaimed “King of Irrational Confidence” reveled in dominating Martinsville with the speed of a championship contender after facing questions since last year about whether the 44-year-old’s two-decade quest for a title had turned pointless.
“I know that when I got the car to do it, I can be the best,” said Hamlin. “I haven’t felt like I’ve held back the car at any point. Certainly, I’m not immune to understanding that Father Time is undefeated. Everything that I need to be good to be a race car driver is still really sharp.”
Crew chief Chris Gayle, who won in his seventh race since being paired with Hamlin, has been surprised by his new driver’s work ethic. Late into Saturday night before Martinsville, Hamlin was texting Gayle about his car while poring over throttle and braking data from the October 2022 race (the last time he felt dominant at the track).
“As he’s gotten older, he’s had to almost ramp up the amount of work he’s done,” Gayle said. “He may have gotten by earlier without doing that. He’s with us in the simulator at least six to seven hours a week. He does that to be a part of the team. That speaks to where his head’s at at this age.”
Team owner Joe Gibbs said Hamlin spends more time in the simulator than his three teammates — all of whom are at least 14 years younger — and the Hall of Fame football coach wants to keep his veteran leader for the long term.
“The one thing I’ve learned about athletes, the ones that really have it and are special, you better be careful about anything early,” Gibbs said about determining when it's time to hang it up. “Let them go. So we’re going to ride Denny for as long as we can.”
Hamlin smiled when told Wallace never won again after his 55th victory in March 2004 at Martinsville. Wallace retired from Cup the next season.
“I won’t feel bad to break his 55 record when I do,” Hamlin said, adding that his retirement was “a long way away.”
Rough racing
NASCAR officials are reviewing the controversial Xfinity finish at Martinsville Speedway to determine if drivers will be punished in its midweek penalty report. Sammy Smith admitted he intentionally wrecked Taylor Gray from the lead in Turn 3 on the final lap, causing a multicar crash. Gray earlier had bumped Smith from the lead.
Hamlin was among several who called out the poor driving and sportsmanship, and he planned to address it further in his weekly “Actions Detrimental” podcast.
“I think the sanctioning body needs to get involved a little bit and step in on egregious things,” Hamlin said. “It was just horrible driving by most of the people. It’s just not a good look. You shouldn’t be able to just wipe someone out. We have a black flag for a reason. We should start using it.”
Executive moves
NASCAR named president Steve Phelps as its new commissioner overseeing all aspects of NASCAR, the IMSA sports car series and the 15 tracks owned or operated by NASCAR. Though NASCAR once had a stock car racing commissioner who handled penalty appeals, the sanctioning body is billing Phelps as the first with the expanded responsibilities of the newly created role.
“We are thrilled to name Steve Phelps as NASCAR’s first commissioner,” NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. “His leadership, professionalism and well-earned respect from across the sports industry speak to his unique value for the sport.”
Steve O’Donnell will move from NASCAR’s chief operating officer to replace Phelps as president and handle daily oversight of its three national series and its commercial, media and track operations.
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