- Denny Hamlin says that the alliance teams often are at a disadvantage.
- He points fingers at Hendrick Motorsports for owning the best resources.
- His own 23XI Racing team has an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.
NASCAR’s alliance system has served as a lifeline for organisations trying to keep pace with the sport’s financial heavyweights.
Smaller teams receive engines, engineering support, simulation resources, and personnel pipelines from powerhouse organisations, allowing them to stay in the fight. But according to Denny Hamlin, the same structure that helps those teams survive may also be placing a ceiling on how far they can climb.
Hamlin’s own organization, 23XI Racing, operates with the support of Joe Gibbs Racing. While 23XI has begun handling engine work internally during the 2026 season, a move that has paid dividends on track, Hamlin suggested during the latest episode of his podcast that parent organizations, like Hendrick Motorsports, still hold the keys to the kingdom when it comes to NASCAR’s balance of power.
“You’re going to get the fifth-best most times,” says Denny Hamlin
While discussing Spire Motorsports and Daniel Suarez winning the Coca-Cola 600, Hamlin explained one of NASCAR’s least publicized realities.
Hendrick Motorsports currently maintains technical alliances with three Cup Series teams, Spire Motorsports, Haas Factory Team, and Hyak Motorsports. Those organizations often rely on Hendrick for engines, engineering support, simulation assistance, and, at times, even pit crew infrastructure.
On paper, those teams line up as competitors every weekend. But behind the curtain, they also function as customers connected to the same supply chain. The arrangement appears to create parity. Hamlin, though, implied that the structure still protects the parent organization’s interests above all others.
According to Hamlin, alliance-backed teams may never receive equal footing with organizations like Hendrick Motorsports, and the issue begins with pit crews. “I think they (No. 7 Spire team) got some pit crew issues and that’s always going to be the challenge if you rely on Hendrick that much,” Hamlin admitted.
Hamlin then went a layer deeper, laying out what amounts to NASCAR’s unseen pecking order. “They’re going to put their best guys on their cars. They’re constantly taking your guys as they see your pit crew starts being really, really good. They’re going to take guys and put them on a house car. So that’s a little bit of the issue of being the little brother. That it could potentially lower your ceiling a little bit. Now, just talking about pit crews. Hendrick has got a ton of pit crew members, like a lot.”
“Hendrick’s the one investing in these people”
“So, they’re always going to have a lot of really good people, but just remember, they’re not going to be okay if your pit crews are out running their house cars. That’s why you get your pit crew at a more budgeted price. It’s because Hendrick’s the one investing in these people, and so they want the best on their cars. So, you’re going to get the fifth best most times,” he continued.
Organizations investing the most money into developing athletes, over-the-wall crews, and personnel tend to protect and enhance their own operations before helping another team chase trophies. That fact may explain why alliance-backed teams often flash speed, steal wins, and make noise on certain weekends, yet struggle to sustain championship runs over an entire season.
Winning once in a while may happen when the stars align. But building a system capable of knocking the sport’s powerhouses off their perch week after week is another mountain altogether. According to Hamlin, the alliance model may quietly be designed to keep that mountain unclimbed.
Is the “little brother” issue the reason Hamlin refuses to drive for his own team?
Back in 2024, Hamlin addressed whether he would ever race full-time for 23XI Racing. But, despite acknowledging the organization’s upside and the commercial pull generated by Michael Jordan being involved, Hamlin said he intended to finish his driving career with Joe Gibbs Racing.
At the center of that reasoning sat JGR’s equipment base and pit crew structure. Ironically, given the pace Tyler Reddick has shown this season, the idea of Hamlin racing for his own operation no longer sounds far-fetched.
Still, Hamlin remains committed to driving the No. 11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. On race weekends, his assignment is to simply win races for JGR, the organization paying him to compete for championships.
Separating ownership from competition
That commitment also explains why Hamlin races his own 23XI drivers, including Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, so aggressively. Hamlin has openly acknowledged that backing off to let a 23XI car win would ignite backlash across the garage and likely create issues tied to his JGR contract.
Driving for his own organisation would place him squarely in a conflict of interest. Hamlin has repeatedly stated that he must race every competitor the same way because his loyalty on Sundays belongs to the No. 11 crew and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Throughout the week, Hamlin pours energy into running 23XI Racing. Once race day arrives, however, he separates ownership from competition and focuses entirely on driving for Gibbs.
For now, Hamlin has no plans to move into one of his own cars full-time. Still, he has left the door cracked open for part-time appearances or select starts with 23XI Racing once his career with Joe Gibbs Racing ends.
