“Think I’ll retire“: Denny Hamlin wins the SRX Racing experience at Stafford in his first attempt

Denny Hamlin's recent appearance in the grassroots NASCAR racing scene went well for the Cup Series veteran. Usually seen behind the wheel of Joe Gibbs Racing's #11 FedEx Toyota Camry TRD, the Tampa native made his debut in the SRX Series this week.

The Superstar Racing Experience, better known as the SRX Series kicked off its 2023 season at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut on Thursday night. The feature race ended up being shortened to a total of 58 laps due to inclement weather at the track, a phenomenon that has seemed to follow NASCAR around in recent weeks.

Denny Hamlin managed to visit victory lane on his first attempt in the series after making a pass on reigning series champion Marco Andretti. He held off Clint Bowyer during the latter half of the stages to claim the top spot. Hamlin took to Twitter after the race to joke about the same, writing:

"1 for 1. Think I’ll retire. Thanks @SRXracing & @StaffordSpeedwy."

Before the race was suspended and Denny Hamlin was pronounced the winner, a good battle was shaping up between the #11 FedEx-sponsored driver and fellow driver Ryan Newman.

The former Cup Series driver was looking to challenge Hamlin for the lead before thunderstorms in the vicinity disrupted proceedings.

Denny Hamlin elaborates on his experience racing in the SRX Series at Stafford

Full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver and SRX Series debutant Denny Hamlin was one driver who was elated to have participated in the event despite facing troubles with the weather.

In a post-race interview, Hamlin described how enjoyable racing in the series was due to a number of decisions made by the Superstar Racing Experience. He told frontstretch.com:

"This is a lot of fun. I mean, just kind of from a driver's standpoint. You're in the same equipment as everyone else. They don't let you do any changes to these cars that not every car has. It really puts an emphasis (on the drivers). There were no spotters or anything. A lot of the contact you saw was because we just couldn't see the people around us."

Fans can now watch Denny Hamlin take on the challenge of New Hampshire Motor Speedway this Sunday as the drivers prepare for the Crayon 301. The event goes live on the USA and PRN Networks at 2:30 pm ET.