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Hamlin (Baby Watch) Could Miss Nashville Race; Ryan Truex on Standby

Originally posted on Racing America on SI
By Toby Christie | Last updated May 31, 2025 7:17 PM ET

Denny Hamlin qualified second for Sunday's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, but with his fiancée Jordan Fish's due date for the couple's third child coming on Sunday, there's a chance that Hamlin will have to relinquish the seat of his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Progressive Toyota Camry XSE.

STARTING LINEUP: Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville

In a media scrum on Saturday, Hamlin said if Fish goes into labor on Sunday, he will leave Nashville Superspeedway to attend the birth of his third child.

"I can't miss it," Hamlin explained. "I certainly got to be there for her, and that's obviously the biggest priority. I just wish she would hang on a little bit longer."

If Fish is unable to hold on, Ryan Truex will be in line to get his first NASCAR Cup Series start since the 2014 season. Truex, who scored three wins for Joe Gibbs Racing over the last two seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, is at Nashville Superspeedway and will be ready to drive if called into action.

If Hamlin does miss Sunday's race, he will need to apply for a Playoff Waiver to continue his chase for his elusive first NASCAR Cup Series championship, but the waiver is expected to be granted as attending the birth of a child is one of the special provisions given by NASCAR to not lose all current and future Playoff Points for needing a Playoff Waiver due to missing a race.

Hamlin, who sits at 699 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, would eclipse the 700 starts milestone on Sunday if he is able to remain in Nashville. If not, Hamlin will miss a NASCAR Cup Series race for the first time since the 2014 season.

The racer was set to participate in a Goodyear Tire Test at Iowa Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Hamlin will forgo the tire test. His teammate, Chase Briscoe, who secured his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series pole on Saturday at Nashville, will take his place in the No. 11 Toyota at the Iowa Speedway test.

The 44-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver comes into this weekend's race at Nashville Superspeedway sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, and has two victories through the opening 13 races of the season.