UPDATE: Denny Hamlin has been granted a waiver to remain eligible for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the sanctioning body confirmed on Friday.
The waiver will ensure that the 44-year-old driver remains eligible for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs this Fall, while also allowing the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to retain the Playoff Points earned throughout the year.
Ryan Truex, the official reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, will be competing in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the championship-winning organization confirmed on Thursday.
NEWS@dennyhamlin will miss Sunday’s @NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City. We will apply for a waiver to maintain his status for the 2025 Playoffs.
In Denny’s absence, @Ryan_Truex will pilot the No. 11 @Yahoo Toyota this weekend. pic.twitter.com/ilc5jNLaMG
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) June 12, 2025
The 33-year-old driver has been selected to pilot the No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE for the series’ inaugural event in Mexico City, and the first internationally held points-paying race for the NASCAR Cup Series since 1958.
Denny Hamlin, the winner of last weekend’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, has elected to stay with his family following the birth of his first son.
See you guys in Pocono pic.twitter.com/ggLoheBPuU
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) June 12, 2025
On Tuesday, Hamlin told Danielle Trotta and Larry McReynolds on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that if Fish hadn’t delivered their son by the time the 44-year-old driver was scheduled to depart for Mexico City this weekend, he wouldn’t be making the trip.
With Hamlin and Fish welcoming their son, but not being released from the hospital for their home, the Chesterfield, Virginia-native will be staying with his family this weekend, giving the opportunity for Ryan Truex to compete in his first NASCAR Cup Series event since the end of 2014, when he drove with BK Racing.
Truex is the younger brother of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion and former Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex, Jr., and has spent the last couple of seasons ingrained in the championship-winning organization’s program, both in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Denny Hamlin, as previously stated, will be granted a waiver by NASCAR for missing Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250, as “childbirth” is one of the accepted reasons for missing commitments to a NASCAR Cup Series event.
Truex will have ample opportunity to get on-track time around Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with a pair of 50-minute practice sessions taking place on Friday, the first at 1:05 PM ET and the second at 3:00 PM ET. Qualifying for the event will be at Noon ET on Saturday.
The Viva Mexico 250 will take place on Sunday (June 15) at 3:00 PM ET on Prime Video, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with on-board cameras and in-car audio being available on HBO Max.
