Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway may have been the final one for Denny Hamlin. If that's the case, that will mean Hamlin goes out on top.
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On this week's edition of Hamlin's podcast "Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin," Hamlin hinted that he may be done racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. "I don't know whether I'll do it again though. ... I feel like this is a good time for that to be my curtain call in Xfinity," he said.
Hamlin said there is no benefit to running in the NASCAR Xfinity Series races when it pertains to the NASCAR Cup Series. "The cars do not relate one bit," he said. "It's a completely different car, it drives completely different. The tires are dramatically different. The shifting is different."
Repost to congratulate @dennyhamlin.
He wins the @XfinityRacing Series race at @TooToughToTame. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/kakbTJxHjB
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 2, 2023
Hamlin scored his 18th career win in the Xfinity Series on Saturday in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 car. He passed race leader Austin Hill on an overtime restart. That was Hamlin's first Xfinity Series win at Darlington Raceway since 2017. Hamlin did cross the finish line first back in 2019, but his car was later disqualified after failing post-race inspection.
If this is the end for Hamlin in the Xfinity Series, he will conclude his career with 18 wins, 65 top 5s and 101 top 10s in 164 starts.
Since 2018, Hamlin has only done one race a year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, all at Darlington Raceway.
Hamlin mentioned that the main reason he does the NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Darlington is because of sponsor Sport Clips. The company has been a longtime sponsor for Hamlin, so he races its entry in the event it sponsors.
If this is the end of the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Hamlin, he will go down as the 18th winningest driver in the series' history. His 18th win would allow Hamlin to go out on top.
