Indianapolis a ‘bittersweet’ victory for Hamlin

Denny Hamlin, the driver, finished third in the Brickyard 400 on Sunday. Denny Hamlin, the owner, however, won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis with 23XI Racing.

The moment was undoubtedly bittersweet for Hamlin, who has yet to win the crown jewel event himself. It is the only crown jewel on the NASCAR schedule that Hamlin, 44, has not laid claim to, and Sunday was his 17th attempt.

He admitted as much – about it being bittersweet – as he fulfilled his obligations as the winning car owner. One of those obligations was having to address the media, putting into perspective what the win means for his driver, Bubba Wallace, and the organization, even though it’s not something he’s ever experienced.

“Yeah [it’s bittersweet] because I had a role in it,” Hamlin said. “I help mentor these guys, and they’re in my brain every single Monday and Tuesday. I’m trying everything I can to teach them all the tricks in the book that I have, and so I know there is a part of me out there. Yeah, it’s not my car number and it sucks that it’s not my team, team No. 11 out there, but I’m still very gratified because truthfully, I took our chances of winning out yesterday.”

Saturday at the Speedway was a tough pill to swallow for Hamlin. His Toyota was the fastest in Cup Series practice, having arrived at Indianapolis off his fourth win of the season a week ago at Dover Motor Speedway. But as the last driver to attempt a qualifying run, he pushed too hard and crashed.

With the primary car destroyed, his team had to go to a backup. It was all hands on deck to prepare for Sunday’s race, with Hamlin having to come from the rear of the field in a track position race.

“I knew that the possibility of winning from the back here was so small,” Hamlin said. “Not only that, I knew the car we had was not going to be nearly as fast as what we had yesterday, so I was content with getting a good finish, and then I hope that one of the 23XI cars that qualified up front could execute a good day. It looked like the No. 23 and No. 45 executed a good day. The No. 35 looked like he had speed, just couldn’t get over the hump.

“So, I’m still very gratified just because of the weekend. I’m sitting back there after qualifying, in the car, thinking, ‘Well, I’ve only got two more chances.’ I knew I had blown this chance for this weekend because of all the obstacles to try to win from the back. Without luck, it’s nearly impossible, so this was the next best result.”

Hamlin signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing, which was announced on Friday. It is, according to Hamlin, “probably, most likely” his last contract extension in Cup Series racing.

Indianapolis is not a traditional race victory as it comes with many spoils. Wallace and the No. 23 team celebrated in victory lane, received a trophy and a ring, and then went to the frontstretch to kiss the bricks. Hamlin was there for all of it, the kiss included.

There was no hesitation to participate in the tradition over hoping to do it as a driver one day.

“I’ll take every opportunity that I can,” Hamlin said. “When those guys go out there and get trophies, I make sure I get my own and treat it as my own, because I can assure you, it’s much harder to win as a team owner than it is as a driver. Joe Gibbs and that whole team do all the work. All I have to do out here each weekend is drive it to the best of my ability, and I have to send them in the right direction to make the car go faster.

“Building a team from scratch is a huge undertaking, so you feel more gratification because I had my hand in every little piece of that race, from the branding to the sponsorship to the competition to everything. Parents always feel much prouder when their kids accomplish something more than they do.”