Even though Denny Hamlin didn’t have the best luck on the race track, the casino he stayed at in Las Vegas was a different story. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver talked about the Las Vegas weekend on the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast.
The Pennzoil 400 was one thing. But after racing was over, Denny Hamlin was ready to turn away from racing and have some fun. Turns out the casino he was staying in had a little blackjack tournament.
For those that don’t know, Hamlin is a bit of a regular at the tables in Vegas. So, he got to come into the tournament and win a little bit of money…
“Basically the casino invited me to this tournament,” the driver said on his podcast. “I didn’t have to pay anything to enter it, it’s for some of their regular customers. And I guess I qualified for that. I got in this blackjack tournament and made it to the final table. It was $250,000 to win.”
After moving his way up in the tournament, Hamlin and the rest of the finalists agreed they wouldn’t do an all-for-one. They split the pot with the winner taking more.
“Everyone [at the final table] gets 30 grand and the winner gets 100 grand. So, since I made it to the final table [I made 30 grand]. I was thinking I was like, I don’t have anything in this. I’d rather just roll the dice and if I win it, it’s a great story.”
So, I imagine that Denny Hamlin doesn’t feel too terrible about his P11 finish in the race.
That winning feeling.
Denny Hamlin Couldn’t Keep Up With Hendrick Chevys
Back to the race itself, Denny Hamlin had a problem with holding off the Hendrick Motorsports drivers. William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Alex Bowman finished 1-2-3 and dominated the race from start to finish.
Meanwhile, everyone else played catch-up. That includes Denny Hamlin. His No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota Camry couldn’t get the job done. Right now, Hamlin sits 6th in the points standings. However, it is still early in the year and a lot can change between now and November.
So, what can we take away from the Las Vegas weekend? Hendrick and the Chevys are the early teams to beat. These intermediate tracks are going to be really good for them and it’s something that everyone else needs to prepare for.
Will Denny Hamlin and the Toyotas find their groove in Phoenix?