Denny Hamlin turns 45 in November, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver apparently has at least a couple of more seasons left in the proverbial tank.
JGR announced Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the organization has signed Hamlin to a multi-year contract extension. That means the three-time Daytona 500 winner will remain with the company through at least the end of the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series campaign.
Could he continue to compete even further into the future? Hamlin addressed this possibility on Friday.
Does Denny Hamlin Expect To Remain A Full-Time Cup Series Driver Beyond 2027?
Asked on Friday whether he expects his new contract with JGR will be the last extension he’ll ever sign, Denny Hamlin offered a candid answer. Well, sort of candid.
“I would say probably, most likely,” he said. Then Hamlin added: “Who knows? But most likely.”
And with that addendum to his initial response, the veteran driver left the door open — or at least cracked — to spending more than just the next two seasons in the No. 11 Toyota he’s raced full time since 2006.
For right now, however, Hamlin isn’t ready to commit to racing longer than another two seasons.
“For for me, it’s all I feel comfortable with,” he said. “Three years? Who knows what can happen three years from now? So I just want to make sure that I get them (JGR) proper time and make sure I commit to them for not one year, multiple years. Let them try to continue to build the program.
“If I was 26, I would take 10 years (for a contract). But I just I want to make sure that I’m still at my peak form in my final year. That could be tailing off in three years. So, I don’t want that.”
All Systems Remain A Go For Denny Hamlin For The Time Being
At present, Denny Hamlin shows no signs of any decline in his driving skills. His four wins in 2025 are a NASCAR Cup Series’ high, and he sits fourth in the standings with five races left in the regular season.
So how is Hamlin — aging bones and all — seemingly as good behind the wheel as he’s ever been, and perhaps even at his all-time best?
“One of the deciding factors is that I have my body in a good place,” said the Chesterfield, Virginia native, who arrived at Indy fresh off a win last weekend at Dover. “My back is not bothering me as much as it was a few years ago.
“I’ll treat the next two years just like I’d be treating my rookie season or the year after. I’ve never waned from making sure I’m doing my job to the best of my ability, and my work ethic will never change.”
Hamlin’s motivation to continue racing well into his mid-40s is pretty simple. In spite of all his success, which includes not just three Daytona 500 wins but a total of 58 points-paying victories in NASCAR’s premier series, Hamlin remains hungry for more. Especially the Cup Series championship that has narrowly eluded him multiple times.
Don’t expect Hamlin to automatically hang it up if he wins a title, though.
“I’d like to just see kind of where I’m at two years from right now,” Hamlin said. “Just kind of where’s the team at, what’s their Plan B? Where are they at with that? And then I’ll just see how competitive I am, how good do I feel, how bad do I want it? All those things are just big factors.”
