NASCAR Cup Series star Denny Hamlin has admitted that his off-season plans are less defined than normal, thanks to an ongoing lawsuit.
Hamlin is a co-owner of 23XI Racing which, along with Front Row Motorsports, is suing NASCAR in an antitrust case which is set to go to trial on December 1.
Hamlin was cruelly robbed of his first Cup Series championship at age 44 by a caution with just three laps remaining of the championship race earlier this month, and has admitted that he expects to have to spend much of his off-season dealing with that devastation.
In his first interview after Phoenix, Hamlin admitted to Sports Illustrated that his intended decompression has been impacted by the possibility of spending next month in and out of court.
Hamlin: I badly need a vacation
"I don't have any plans," Hamlin admitted. "Usually, I have some kind of plans at some point, but obviously, with the pending litigation and stuff, I don't know whether I'll be in town or not. So, that stuff is obviously kind of fluid.
"But I'm going to take some time and go on a vacation at some point. I certainly need it very, very badly. Other than that, just spending more time at home. Through the grind of the season, those who travel weekly in the Cup Series understand that you just don't get a whole lot of time at home.
"Being able to now make more of my daughter's volleyball games is going to be exciting for her. Molly she has gymnastics and stuff that I get to go see now. I'll just spend most of my time with them, and being a fan of them versus the other way around, like they are for me for 38 weeks."
Hamlin is expected to return to Joe Gibbs Racing for his penultimate season, despite some comments suggesting that he's considering his future in racing.
