Denny Hamlin, the winner of last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway, isn’t totally certain if he’ll be making the trip to Mexico City for the inaugural Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Speaking with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday, the 44-year-old driver for Joe Gibbs Racing tells Larry McReynolds and Danielle Trotta that he and fiancée Jordan Fish are still on “baby watch”, as the couple awaits the birth of their third child together.
“Not yet,” Hamlin said when asked whether the new baby had arrived. “He’s quite like his father, very hard-headed and stubborn it appears.”
This coming weekend marks the longest trek of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, with the series traveling down to Mexico City. Hamlin says that if Fish hasn’t delivered their child by his scheduled departure time, he will forgo the event to stay home with his fiancée.
“If she hasn’t had [the baby] by the time I need to leave for Mexico, I’m not going to go to Mexico,” Hamlin explained. “I think that’s the proper thing to do, but really just letting her call the shots. I think that’s the best thing, when her body and her mind says it’s time, then that’s what we’ll do. Ultimately, I need to be there for her during, post, and all those things. So, just going to make sure I spend the proper time with her, and the racing will come second this week.”
Should that exact scenario play out, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will bring Ryan Truex, the team’s official reserve driver, to Mexico City to pilot the No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE in the highly anticipated event at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Truex has spent the last two weekends at the racetrack with Joe Gibbs Racing, ready to jump into action should Hamlin need to leave the racetrack to be with his fiancée. The 33-year-old driver has made 26 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, but none since the end of the 2014 season with BK Racing.
The good news for the Mayetta, New Jersey-native, is that he’s been embedded in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series programs for Joe Gibbs Racing for several years, a tenure which included some part-time Xfinity starts and three victories.
Hamlin, should he miss Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250, will be granted a post-season waiver by NASCAR, as “childbirth” is one of the no-consequences reasons permitted by NASCAR.
Following his third NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season last weekend at Michigan International Speedway, Hamlin sits third in points, 82 points behind leader William Byron. Missing an event would likely significantly hurt his chances at a regular-season championship.
The Viva Mexico 250 is set to take place on Sunday, June 15 at 3:00 PM ET on Prime Video, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
One Response
I’m not a big Hamlin fan, but I’m glad he’s making the best decision for his family. I wish him and his fiancée all the best. I am surprised they don’t have a driver more familiar with the new-gen car ready to fill in like Eric Almarola or Martin Truex Jr.