The same 12 questions are posed to a different race car driver by The Athletic every week. Next up is Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing, who together Michael Jordan also owns 23XI Racing, which is comprised of Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. The entire version of this interview can be found on the 12 Questions podcast; it has been reduced and edited for clarity.
1. What is currently the number one thing on your bucket list?
By the time this is published, I am going to travel to Europe. I want to go check it out because I have never had the opportunity to do that.
Yeah, this interview will come out after the off weeks. So that’s what you’re doing? What countries are you going to?
I am going to be erratic. Greece, Italy, and a few other locations.
2. How much media coverage of NASCAR do you consume?
All right, it is fascinating. Thanks to Elon Musk, if I do not follow the media member (on X), it appears on the “For You.” Thus, the trending subjects usually appear on my (feed). They are aware of when I usually quit reading, so they give me more of that.
I will thus commit to three and a half hours per week. That includes browsing Twitter, clicking on specific articles, and reading them, as well as possibly listening to another podcast. These are easily overcome in ten minutes. Consequently, you can eat a good amount in three and a half hours.
Denny Hamlin, left, is a o-owner of the 23XI Racing team with basketball legend Michael Jordan. (Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)
3. Beyond winning, what is the best way to measure success in racing?
being competitive on several circuits and in various car classes, as well as having a high degree of versatility in your craft. There have always been some individuals that excel at specific genres of music. They excel in drafting tracks, for example, therefore that is where they can succeed. However, someone who is adaptable and has the ability to succeed wherever is usually successful.
4. What is an opinion you have about NASCAR that you don’t think is shared by the fans?
Although the fans believe NASCAR does not hear them, I believe they do. Perhaps excessively. Thus, it differs greatly from some of the fans I have read about.
5. What is the biggest thing fans don’t realize about what you do for a living?
Roughly 7% of my work consists of what you see me doing on Sundays. You would not believe how little the hours I spend preparing to run in circles make up over the course of a week. It is commitments to the media, sponsors, honing my craft, studying, and simply maintaining my physical well-being. This is a full-time position plus.
6. The question that follows is about a current issue that is personal to you. When assessing your skills and comparing yourself to other drivers, you have a very clear-eyed perspective. You mentioned earlier that Tyler Reddick might get more raw speed out of the automobile if he was in it with you. Since it is uncommon in this world to admit you are not the best at anything, how did you get to the point where you could judge yourself objectively?
You can not possibly excel in every endeavor, in my opinion. It is just not conceivable, in my opinion. I compare it to a basketball player: Even at his finest, Michael Jordan was never the best shooter. There was always a better shooter somewhere. However, he was an exceptionally skilled shooter and defender. He was hardly the best passer in the league. Becoming a skilled race car driver involves more than merely achieving certain goals. It is about who has race craft, which refers to managing races and risk, as well as speed, aptitude on short courses, and proficiency on superspeedways and road courses. Additionally, racing IQ exists, which goes beyond (race) management.
Let us assume for the moment that there are six or seven categories. Nobody will be at the top of every one of them. The best race car driver will emerge, though, if you can place yourself second, third, second, third, first, second, and third. Thus, every year I attempt to ascertain “Where am I low on the list? How can I improve my ranking there? And make sure I maintain my ranking at P1, P2, in whatever category I believe best represents my abilities.
Road course racing was one thing, but rainy weather racing is another. If I want to be a strong player in this league overall, I need to keep improving in both areas.
The all-time great in their sport has never excelled in every aspect of their craft. The worst putter is not Scottie Scheffler. An iron player? Up there is where he is. Operator? No. However, when you sum up all of those ranks, P1 is the result.
7. This query is a wild card. You mentioned how, starting in 2020, you found it difficult to unwind and felt the urge to occupy your time. That is essentially the beginning of your journey as a team owner. When you cease driving, you will still have the parenting and team owner aspects of it at some point, but the driving aspect will be significantly absent. What plans do you have for occupying that time?
I think I’ll want that free time. I will just spend more time at 23XI. I’m already very hands-on in that company and in the decisions it makes on competition, business and whatnot. But I want to be there more. I’m there probably twice a week now at minimum along with all the other meetings I do virtually.
By then, I anticipate that I will want a break. I will practice my swing. One day, I hope to play scratch golf. I have usually been four or five shots shy of that, but that arguably should have been included in the bucket list question. For that, I can devote more time to learning lessons.
I simply do not have the time to practice all the other things I want to be better at. I also know that I will still be driven by competition, so I will want to set myself tasks, which will undoubtedly take up some of my time.
8. What do you like about the place where you grew up? Chesterfield, Va.
I used to race Late Model Stock cars on asphalt, and it served as my main base of operations. There were a ton of tracks in the area. And the reason I liked it was that Hull Street, or Route 360, ran straight through the center. On that street has everything you need. It was fun to see it mature throughout the years. Hull Street was rather empty as early as when I was eight years old. These days, the street still has all the eateries and auto businesses you could ever want. We also operated our family trailer company out of there.
9. What personality trait are you most proud of?
consideration for others. I am aware that it is somewhat difficult to accept. (Laughs) However, I believe that I treat everybody with grace, both friends and strangers. I usually attempt to help those who are hurting and just try to be polite when I can; that is something I strive to teach my kids.
Why do you feel like that’s hard to believe?
Basically, because on Sunday I am seen with my pads and helmet. They witness my more combative side. But I am a very different person outside of it.
10. Which driver would you least like to be stuck with on an elevator?
How long am I on this elevator? (Laughs)
What do you think the typical time you’re stuck before people get you off?
Two hours, at most. I once spent nearly an hour locked in an elevator. It was completely packed. We overloaded it, which is why it became stuck. It was not good. It would lose height due to the weight, and it would keep falling every several minutes. It would simply fall, then hold, then drop again.
How long ago was this?
When I participated in the 2013 American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament, this was in Lake Tahoe. Plus, it was really hot in there. We were to blame for everything since we overloaded it.
Yet it is difficult to say. I think I could get along with almost anyone. Perhaps Joey (Logano) though? He and I both have enough ongoing projects, so we would have much to discuss when it came to side topics. At driver intros or similar events, the majority of our talks usually revolve around off-topic topics. I could therefore get along with almost anyone.
Denny Hamlin, left, hired Bubba Wallace to drive for the 23XI Racing team. (Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)
11. Can you share a driving encounter that the media or television did not cover? To be clear, I asked this question with you in mind when I wrote it.
The media does not seem to miss anything, in my opinion. Are you referring to a few years back?
A few years ago in a motorhome lot with one of your current drivers.
Yes. I mean, Bubba and I got into a fight. I believe it was 2018. After the checkered flag (while competing for second place in the Daytona 500), we began texting each other, and we finally met in person. A few short snippets have been released of that.
Nevertheless, everything culminated in Atlanta. We simply exchanged a few short texts, but they kind of got me fired up. I was presented with the challenge, “What are you going to do about it?” “All good, I will be over.” (laughs) The rest is history, but at some point I thought it was necessary to get that out of our system.
But there is humor in the way the world works. I brought him on board at 23XI as the first driver a few years later. Everything that has happened to me has been captured on tape and magnified. But most people did not pay much attention to that specific episode for quite some time.
Yeah, there were rumors and supposedly a ripped shirt in the motorhome lot, but nobody ever talked about it. And then when you hired him, I figured it was all good.
The buddies who let us board the bus alone after the challenge was abandoned, or the motorhome drivers themselves, made the error. The bus was swaying, which was the only thing that made them aware of it. And they just walked right through the front door (laughs).
(Note: Hamlin considered the question more after the interview and texted the following addition:“This is proof that even when you may have differences with someone in the short term, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get over it and have a good relationship with that person in the long run.”)
12. I invite a driver to submit a question for the following individual to answer once a week. Ryan Blaney was the last to speak, and he asked: How much money has Jordan ever wagered with you on a golf course?
The most money that has likely ever been spent per hole, in my opinion, is $1,000.
Oh. That’s not a lot.
I can usually raise the stakes with my buddies to the point where they become anxious. And with him, that simply will not work that way. I therefore make sure that losing all 18 holes is the worst that may happen (laughs). Even though I know that will not happen, I am fine with the outcome.
It sounds like poker when you’re playing against somebody who already has a bigger stack than you.
Bullying him on the course is not going to be an option for you. I can put some of my friends to the test to the point where they start to consider it, even though my golf skills are not superior than theirs.
The next interview is with Chase Elliott. Do you have a question I might be able to ask him?
Indeed, without a doubt. As the president of NASCAR, you have one important thing to change. How are you spending your time?
(Top photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
