$65M-worth Denny Hamlin admits setup mirrored Tyler Reddick's but fell short of Penske's pace in Phoenix

NASCAR driver and 23XI Racing co-owner, Denny Hamlin, recently shared his views on his performance and car setup during the Cup Series finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Hamlin, who was eliminated after the Round of 8, started outside the top 10 in 14th place at Sunday's championship race. The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver finished 11th and was eighth in the final Cup standings.

Hamlin, who is worth $65M (according to Celebrity Net Worth), told Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass that the car did not have enough speed to keep up with the best teams, even though he used a setup similar to Tyler Reddick’s.

"We just didn't have the speed. I mean, we're riding a horse that's got like a sprained ankle. (0:14) You know, we just don't have that light switch of speed that those cars have at these last few short tracks of the year. It doesn't really show up throughout the year, but just somehow in the playoffs, it comes," Hamlin said.

"I thought they did a great job. We ran the 45's stuff all weekend. I thought it drove well, just didn't have the speed that it needs to compete with those top couple of cars," he added.

Tyler Reddick, driving the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing, started 10th and finished in sixth place. He had a strong season with big wins earlier in the year but could not break into the lead at Phoenix, finishing fourth among the Championship 4 contenders.

Meanwhile, Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney dominated the race. Logano won his third Cup Series championship, Blaney finished second, and William Byron came in third, over five seconds behind Logano.

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FedEx ends sponsorship for Denny Hamlin's No. 11 car

Denny Hamlin closed out his 19th full-time season with three wins last weekend.

Hamlin's long-standing partnership with FedEx ended after the 2024 NASCAR season. He dedicated a thank-you video to FedEx before the final race at Phoenix.

"Thank you, FedEx, for being there from the start. At all the wins and all the losses. Thank you, FedEx, for letting me be me, for always making a difference, for helping make this kid from Virginia’s dreams come true. Thank you, FedEx, for everything,” Hamlin said.

Joe Gibbs Racing, who partnered with FedEx in 2004, also lost another sponsor when Mars left Kyle Busch in 2022. Hamlin now needs to find new sponsors for next season.

Hamlin is also dealing with challenges after his team 23XI Racing sued NASCAR last month over the 2025 NASCAR charter agreements. The court recently denied their request to continue racing under the charter agreement, forcing them to compete as an ‘open’ team in 2025.