Bob Pockrass clears the air on whether Denny Hamlin would be eligible for a waiver if he missed the Nashville race

Veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass clarified Denny Hamlin's eligibility for a playoff waiver amid the possibility of missing the Nashville race. Pockrass reiterated that "birth of child" is considered a medical reason, allowing Hamlin to be granted a waiver.

For context, Hamlin, driver of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, is expecting his third child with fiancée Jordan Fish this month. A waiver, which NASCAR updated earlier this year, would allow him to miss a race without corresponding penalties, such as the loss of playoff points earned in the regular season.

In an X post, Bob Pockrass addressed a question from a fan about whether Denny Hamlin, who is on a baby watch, would be eligible for a waiver.

“NASCAR would consider birth of child as a medical reason as far as granting a waiver and driver keeping playoff points,” the NASCAR reporter wrote.

If Denny Hamlin skips this week's race at Nashville Superspeedway for the birth of his child, Ryan Truex is on standby to sub in the #11 Toyota. Truex, the younger brother of 2017 NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr., is a reserve driver in Joe Gibbs Racing's Cup and Xfinity programs.

The Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville is scheduled for June 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Hamlin is coming off a disappointing outing at Charlotte Motor Speedway last week, where he experienced a late pit road blunder that put him out of contention for the lead.

Denny Hamlin drives the #11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing - Source: Imagn

So far, the 44-year-old has amassed two wins, five top-fives, and six top-10s this year. His wins came after going back-to-back to victory lanes at Martinsville Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

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“I stopped chasing”: Denny Hamlin on fight with William Byron for the lead at Charlotte

Last week, Denny Hamlin forfeited the battle against William Byron for the lead in the closing laps of the Coca-Cola 600. He strategically managed his pace to avoid risking a crash after his pit crew failed to refuel his #11 Toyota Camry on lap 348.

In a post-race interview at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the 56-time Cup race winner said (via Frontstretch on X):

“We were really fast obviously. Us and the 24 (William Byron) were the class of the field for most of the day, and then the 1 (Ross Chastain) came on really strong there at the end.” [0:06]

He added:

“Would have loved to see that battle through, but obviously, once they told me that I was short on fuel, at that point, I kind of stopped chasing the 24 just because I’m not going to risk trying to get in the fence when I’m too short on fuel anyway.”

After scoring points in all three stages (finished second place in stages two and three), Denny Hamlin ultimately had to settle for 16th place, though he gets an extra point for clocking the fastest lap time of 29.37 seconds. Ross Chastain won the 600-mile race, followed by William Byron and Chase Briscoe.