At 44 years of age, Denny Hamlin is still performing as well as he ever did in the NASCAR Cup Series. The man is on a mission to become a champion, and it doesn\u2019t seem like he\u2019ll be hitting the brakes until he does. Such commitment and competitiveness are not common in athletes at this age. His self-awareness has led him to believe that he is better than even \u2018the\u2019 Michael Jordan.<\/p>\n
Following Sunday\u2019s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hamlin had told the press that he is really competitive for someone his age. During his appearance on the Dale Jr. Download, he was even asked whether he considered himself more competitive than Jordan. <\/p>\n
Hamlin admitted that he did think that and went on to explain that the basketball superstar is not the same person he once was. \u201cI think Michael Jordan at 60 years old or 50, I hate to mess this up but at whatever age he is 1753955346, it\u2019s different,\u201d he said<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have to compete each and every week. So when you\u2019re in season or you\u2019re in your job of being a professional sports athlete, your mentality absolutely is different than what it is after you retire.\u201d <\/p>\n Moreover, Hamlin hadn\u2019t known Jordan back in the day as he does now. So, he is in no position to compare his current level of competitiveness with what his 23XI Racing partner had during his prime days. <\/p>\n He continued, \u201cI never, unfortunately, got to see that intense, intense side of him because I think he is a little different now that he\u2019s got a bunch of kids and married and just, life\u2019s different.\u201d <\/p>\n Let\u2019s just say, Jordan won\u2019t be too pleased to hear this.<\/p>\n Denny Hamlin will keep running as long as his legs let him<\/p>\n Hamlin is at an age where most Cup Series superstars have already made plans for retirement and are just waiting for the ball to drop. But he is still some distance away from accepting that this is the end of the journey for him. He has made that clear to the press frequently over the last few days.<\/p>\n