Denny Hamlin would not offer much about the charter negotiations process and that the 23XI Racing team he co-owns with Michael Jordan and Curtis Polk were one of just two teams, alongside Front Row Motorsports, to have not signed the latest offer from NASCAR.
The veteran racer was asked about it following NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“No, I think it was all covered by the statement,” Hamlin said. “I don’t really have anything to add. I’m here to win for my (Joe Gibbs Racing) No. 11 Mavis team. That’s the focus when I come to the race track.”
It’s unclear what this means in both the short term and long term as any team that doesn’t sign a charter extension with the Sanctioning Body could theoretically have its charter seized at the end of the year.
Hamlin wouldn’t address that or the next steps either.
“I don’t have any comments around it,” Hamlin said. “This is not going to be a super exciting media availability. I think where we’re at is all kind of summed up in the statement.”
Hamlin always has something to say about this topic when asked each week or on his Actions Detrimental podcast every Monday so his silence says a lot for how the dynamic has changed now that every team except his, and Front Row Motorsports, has ultimately reached a deal with NASCAR.
Will it all get worked out?
“I don’t know,” Hamlin said. “We’ll work through it.”
Is NASCAR strong when teams are in a stronger financial position?
“That is what we’ve said all along,” Hamlin said, again not offering much.
Hamlin and his team has yet to ink driver Bubba Wallace to a contract extension too, having wanted to reach a deal with NASCAR before moving on to that agenda.
“Anything about the future is definitely dependent on things like that,” Hamlin said. “Certainly.”
Is it frustrating that 23XI Racing’s investment isn’t being seemingly reciprocated by NASCAR?
“Again, I don’t have anything for you,” Hamlin said. “I wish I could or would but not today.”
As far as Hamlin, the driver is concerned, it wasn’t a great start to his latest pursuit of his first NASCAR Cup Series championship as something broke in the drive train of his Gibbs No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE and he will have to start the race at the rear of the field.
“Something in the power train was not up to speed,” Hamlin said. “They’re going to look into it and see what needs to be fixed. Certainly there is something wrong they will get fixed overnight.”
Because Atlanta is a pack racing superspee
“I don’t think it’s going to be a huge deal,” Hamlin said. “It’s not ideal right. I wish we were up front but the way this race plays out, you’re going to have some want to race early and some not. We didn’t have false hopes that we were going to qualify well. I’m glad we found it before the race at least.”
Hamlin also doesn’t view the charter matter as a distraction for his goals as a driver at Gibbs.
“I’ve been in these situations a lot and certainly in the playoffs and I’ve always given my guys 100 percent,” Hamlin said. “I owe that to Chris Gabehart (crew chief) and all the guys and girls working on this 11 car. My objective over the next 10 weeks is to win a championship for them.”