Denny Hamlin To Skip NASCAR’s Mexico Race After Son’s Birth

NASCAR’s latest race winner will be missing its next race. Denny Hamlin will be staying home in Charlotte this weekend following the birth of his son on Wednesday.

He is Hamlin and his fiancé Jordan Fish’s third child. They have not yet announced the name.

“We are happy to announce the birth of our son,” Hamlin said in a statement. “Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five.”

Ryan Truex will fill in for Hamlin at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. Part-time racer Truex is a Joe Gibbs Racing reserve driver who also does simulator development work and has been on standby to take over for Hamlin for the past several weeks.

That included last Sunday at Michigan, where Hamlin picked up his third win of the season and 57th of his career in what became a fuel efficiency run to the finish.

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NASCAR requires full-time drivers to attempt to compete in every race in order to be eligible for the playoffs, but does offer an exemption for the birth of a child. Hamlin’s wins have guaranteed him a spot in the playoffs and he is currently third in the season standings behind William Byron and Kyle Larson and ahead of his teammate, Christopher Bell.

Read Also: HERE’S WHY DENNY HAMLIN IS NASCAR’S NEW VILLAIN

The NASCAR Cup Series is visiting the Mexican track for the first time ever, while the Xfinity Series had previously held races on the road course from 2005 to 2008 and is returning with a race on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Cup Series race is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET and both will run rain or shine.