NASCAR star Denny Hamlin in lose-lose situation as conflicting JGR-23XI emotions revealed

NASCAR star Denny Hamlin has opened up on the emotional conflict of owning one Cup Series team and driving for another.

Hamlin has been a Cup Series stalwart for two decades now, and from the very start, he has been driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. However, in 2020, he linked up with Michael Jordan and others to create 23XI Racing.

NASCAR RESULTS: Live Cup Series Talladega coverage including stage winners and points

23XI has gone from strength to strength since entering the sport in 2021, and so far this year, their star man, Tyler Reddick, has been the dominant force, taking five wins through nine races.

The latter of those came at Kansas Speedway last weekend, where Hamlin was on the verge of victory having led hundreds of laps, only for a late caution to send things to overtime, where he came home in fourth.

NASCAR TODAY: Hamlin's verdict on shock exit and Cup Series driver hit with Talladega DNQ

Denny Hamlin on 23XI and JGR conflict

Hamlin's frustrations were clear to see post-race, and heading into this weekend's action at Talladega, he's opened up on the emotional conflict he experiences when either he or 23XI wins a race.

“It’s a really tough balance,” Hamlin admitted at Talladega, via Frontstretch. “It's really hard to explain, just simply because when my team wins, that means I've lost.

“And so I'm happy for them because I know that our cars, they're capable of winning, so that's part of the big main goal.

“If I win, I’m happy, but also upset that they didn't win because that means they obviously didn't have fast enough cars.

"There’s nothing's 100%, and so it is a very, very interesting balance, and so I have to walk that tightrope, certainly over the next year or so.

“They're gonna win a lot more once I'm done driving.”