Denny Hamlin is still on baby watch entering Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
Hamlin and fiancée Jordan Fish are awaiting the birth of their third child at any moment, and Hamlin is prepared to head back to North Carolina if he gets the call ahead of Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Though Hamlin is ready to head back east at a moment’s notice, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota wasn’t quite sure of his imminent Saturday plans.
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If Hamlin is back east by the start of Sunday’s race, three-time Xfinity Series race winner Ryan Truex is prepared to step in as Hamlin’s reserve driver. Truex has made 102 Xfinity starts, including in this year’s season opener at Daytona, in addition to 26 Cup Series starts, though none since 2014.
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The plan is for the baby to arrive ahead of next weekend’s inaugural Cup race in Mexico City, but also clarified any decisions made are dependent on the urgency of the situation and is leaving the calls to his pregnant fiancée — including the option of missing next week’s race in Mexico “if I had to,” Hamlin said.
— NASCAR.com —