Denny Hamlin recently shared his take on which Formula 1 drivers could try their luck behind a stock car on the ovals. As per Hamlin, only two of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Daniel Ricciardo, would likely be ready to give NASCAR a try.
Hamlin is a full-time driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, piloting the #11 Toyota Camry. He is a three-time Daytona 500 winner and has amassed 54 wins in a career span of more than two decades. The Florida native also hosts a weekly Dirty Mo Media podcast where he shares his insights on the sport.
Speaking on an episode of Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, 23XI Racing co-owner Hamlin was asked if the three-time defending F1 champion Verstappen could get a ride for his NASCAR team. To which the 43-year-old said:
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"We can do whatever you wanna do, yeah absolutely." [0:20]
Moreover, Hamlin joked that the Red Bull Racing F1 driver would have to change his energy drink brand to 'Monster Energy,' the sponsor of 23XI Racing cars.
Furthermore, the #11 Toyota driver Hamlin continued the conversation by stating seven-time F1 champion Hamilton and the RB F1 team driver Ricciardo as the probable drivers to compete in NASCAR.
"I think Lewis would be the one that would give a NASCAR start a try. Daniel Ricardo perhaps would," Hamlin said.
Denny Hamlin believes Nex-Gen cars are safe in "roll-over situations" after Corey LaJoie incident
Denny Hamlin also opined on the wreck involving Corey LaJoie in Michigan. Hamlin deemed the Next-Gen cars as safe in such "roll-over' situations, such as LaJoie's flip on the back-stretch of Michigan International Speedway.
In a post-race media interaction in Michigan, Hamlin said:
"The cars I feel like are pretty safe in roll-over situations. Seems like between that and intrusions, that’s kind of the strong point of the Next Gen car." [16:40]
"I haven't rolled one over but I almost would rather roll one over than hit a wall head-on at that speed I just feel like you're at least getting rid of energy as you are tumbling," he added.
While Hamlin is preparing for the 25th race of the regular season for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race at Daytona International Speedway, he stands P3 in the overall drivers' standings. So far, the #11 driver has accumulated three wins, nine top-5s, and 11 top-10 finishes.
